Tag: louisiana irises

Iris Delight

I have missed my garden and I have missed my gardening friends and I have missed my best friend – all because of too much work and bad weather, in that order! I can never have too much work, because this means there is a positive feeling out there in the market! The bad weather isn’t really BAD – just when too much rain takes over the garden, I don’t feel like playing outside!

Well, I have been missing all the action!!!

My Louisiana Irises have been having a party without me! These flowers are always such a special treat because my best friend gave them to me (tons of rhizomes have grown since) and with the blooming I celebrate my friendship!! So, my buddy! Happy Iris Day! I miss you and wait patiently until we can garden together again! So I send these loving delights so you can see how beautiful they always are!

How beautiful!! What a great start to the sunny weekend ahead! So much to look forward to!

Happy gardening my friends xxxx

Tags irises, louisiana irises

Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Perenniels

Spring Splendour

Never have I been so enamored with a flower as I have with my Louisiana Irises. I think that the first specimen has been so magnificent that I have placed this flower on top of my Most Have To Have list. It is so tall and is so perfect that any other Iris will have to bend in its shadow. I wake up in the morning and open my back door and there she is!

[one_half]These are so tall!![/one_half]

[one_half_last]and so perfect![/one_half_last]

I have another 4 patches where I have buried the Iris rhizomes and they are all looking close to blooming.

[one_half]These are in the Blueberry patch[/one_half]

[one_half_last]All the flowers here are purple/blue[/one_half_last]

[one_third][/one_third]

[one_third_last][/one_third_last]

The first 2 photos are the Irises in the front garden rose patch. I am not certain what the colours are, so this will be a surprise!

Thanks again, my friend, for this special, special gift!

Happy gardening xxxxx

Tags flowers, garden, iris, louisiana irises

Christine's garden Gardening Home page features

It’s all too beautiful …

It’s all too beautiful when the spring sun starts to warm up the earth and the plants respond by showing their first blooms and sprouting forth with lovely fresh new foliage. Gardening buddy Holly from Roses and other Gardening Joys said to me recently that when the first Iris blooms it is officially Spring – so hallelujah Cape Town! It is officially Spring here and this is the beautiful first Iris in bloom in my garden today …

[one_third]The buds taken two days ago[/one_third]

[one_third]The fully opened bloom today[/one_third]

[one_third_last]Photo taken from above[/one_third_last]

[one_third]The Irises on the corner[/one_third]

[one_third]In perspective … the Alley[/one_third]

[one_third_last]A last look at the flower[/one_third_last]

I haven’t been able to write about these Louisiana Irises before. They were the last birthday present I got from my Dad last year, just before he died. We ordered the rhizomes from a specialist Iris grower in Johannesburg and they arrived the week before my father went into hospital for an operation from which he did not recover.

I planted the Irises while he was in hospital, worrying about him and then when he passed away I couldn’t find the strength to continue planting them. I gave many away (to my best friend so I will get to see them in her garden and on the blog soon) and then the last batch I forced myself to plant only quite a few weeks later. I’m not sure they will do well this year as they look poorly right now, but the first batch I did manage to plant are doing beautifully. In the photos you are seeing just three of the hundreds I planted along that wall (you can’t see them in the photos). The others are still waking up to Spring, but this one which is in the sunniest position has galloped on ahead to show me just how beautiful it will all look in a few weeks.

It’s all too beautiful …

I’m loving my Alley way garden right now. At last! I don’t feel the need to add anything else to this area now. In and amongst what you see in the Azalea bed above I have lots and lots of Asiatic Lilies coming up again, lots with buds on already so in a few weeks time I’ll have my little Lily field here again. I can’t wait …

What’s making you smile in your garden?

Happy Gardening
xxx

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Tags iris, irises, louisiana irises

Christine's garden Gardening

Bulb planting 2012

Last year I spent quite a bit on spring-flowering bulbs and populated my garden with lots of Daffodils, Ranunculus, Tulips, Ixias, Freesias and a few Dutch Irises. After my initial ‘bulb planting’ fest I planted quite a few Asiatic Lilies in the Azalea bed and loved the show I had during Spring right through to the beginning of summer. It gave me so much pleasure to be able to pick flowers in my garden and bring them into my home as well as the many hours spent taking photographs and just generally enjoying the flower filled garden.

So this year I’m adding to my collection. Last year I discovered which bulbs do well in my garden and which don’t, and I’ve bought more of the winners. I especially enjoyed the Freesias and the Ixias last year (both are indigenous South African bulbs), so I’ve bought loads more of those. I’ve bought only a few extra daffodils to add to the collection in the front garden which did well. I’m thrilled to see the ones planted last year are already coming up again. The Dutch Irises are also coming back as well as the Ixias which were planted in a pot and the Freesis which were planted in shade. This year I’m adding another 100 Ixias directly into my sunniest bed and I’m adding the small Ipheon to the mix.

[one_half]Dutch Irises coming up again[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Bulb planting tools make it easy[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Some new bulbs (lots of Freesias)[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Lots more Ixias and new Ipheon[/one_half_last]

[one_half]More Dutch Irises for the back[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Louisiana Irises (not really bulbs)[/one_half_last]

Planting bulbs is not too labour intensive either – I use a dibber (I think that’s what it is called) and a special ‘bulb planting’ tool. Of course planting them into pots is even easier to do. This year I am also planting up a few pots with bulbs which I can then move into beds once they are flowering. This because some of my favourites require sun and I have limited sunny beds.

I hope it all works out as well as it did last year.

Happy Gardening
xxx

Tags bulbs, dutch irises, freesias, ixias, louisiana irises, spring bulbs