Iris roundup

The Iris growing at the watery edges of the pond have started to bloom. They will be the last ones to flower in my garden. I captured a number of my Iris flowers as they opened but I don't believe I ever shared any on the blog this spring. So here is a quick roundup of a few from this year's Iris performance.

Iris cristata 'Navy Blue Gem'. Notice how much more intense the color is than the straight species is in the photo below.

Iris cristata. 

These are such a trouble-free plant that I don't mind when they decide to move across the path. 

And I love it when they mix themselves in with this fern. Not sure what one it is, but it is fairly aggressive given how delicate it looks. 

Iris pallida dalmatica. These Iris were planted by the original owners of our house when it was built. They've been shaded out of a number of locations, but I don't want to lose them so I am always dividing and moving a few each spring. 

Iris pumilla. I think this one is 'Gingerbread'; a gift from a gardening friend who gave me a clump when I admired it. 

I planted this Iris last year. It's from Old House Gardens and is definitely going to be a favorite. It's not in their current catalog and I don't seem to have made an id card for it. So it will have to remain nameless for the moment. 

A couple of years ago I asked my neighbor Tim if I might have a pice of this yellow Iris that was growing around the poles that held their laundry line. Since then, Tim has died and his wife moved away earlier this year after selling the house. She and Tim were the original owners and had lived there 60 years. We were their neighbors for almost 25 years and now have a new gardening neighbor. 

When I look at these Iris photos I have to laugh at the fact that almost all of them are lavender colored. My Iris reticulata, I. pumilla, I. lacustris and I. laevigata include white, cherry and yellow blooms, but clearly I haven't gone very far afield when it comes to flower colors. I'm definitely not in the same league as Frank at Sorta Like Suburbia who has a beautiful collection of Iris in a stunning array of colors. I definitely need to break out of my Iris comfort zone!

Comments

[Peter/Outlaw]

A nice roundup of iris. The carpet of Iris cristata is is a delight in or out of bloom. Having plants to remind you of your previous neighbors and your home's original owners is very special indeed.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

I love that picture of the little iris crisata playing peek-a-boo in the ferns. Funny how a flower collection will all of a sudden seem like the same color.

[Alison]

I love the mass of Iris cristata foliage. That's one Iris I've never grown, I'll have to look for it.

[Linda Brazill]

A lovely weed-supressing ground cover with no pests. Comes in white as well.

[Linda Brazill]

We were polar opposites from our neighbors politically, so it was nice to have gardening to talk about.

[Elizabeth]

I appreciate the reference to the iris you received from your neighbors, and the iris that was planted by the original owners. My garden is full of flowers from friends, and even a few from "Julia's Garden," the woman who owned our house 70 years ago. I've taken to calling these "Homestead" flowers; I may never know their specific names, but they are part of the landscape and history of this place.

[Linda Brazill]

Those plants with personal references add so much to the garden.

[Beth @ PlantPostings]

You have an impressive Iris collection! That new one from Old House Gardens is unique, for sure!

[Linda Brazill]

I figured out that the OHG Iris is I. florentina, which has been around since the 1500s. The catalog describes it as a "luminous pewter color" which I think is pretty accurate.