Favorite Irises

Forgot to attach picture. Here it is.

Glad to see Mid-America when it is not pouring rain--remembering AIS convention in 2006.

Speaking of Iris 4 U, I checked their web site Has anyone ever bought Juke Box Hero (Lauer 2003), they have listed? The photo shows a beautiful blue TB with a yellow splash under an orange-gold beard.

I hope to visit Iris4U one of these days. I am a seven hour drive away.

was at MAG for two days, misting the whole time, so it is nice to see it in sunshine. Down at the bottom of that slope were the siberians that, according to Paul, they feed the wayward visitors to. I was one of them! They sold those to Dee.

no, not me on JBH.

Another pic from Mid-America.

Keith Keppel's garden.

Oh, what beatiful fields of iris. Those aren't gardens. Those are farms! I would be so proud to have such a farm.

wow... those pictures have left me speechless... and a little jealous... :)

Gorgeous! Yes those are farms. I wouldn't mind living next door to one of them. It must smell heavenly. And so nice and neat, not a weed in sight.

yeah, right. LOL wish we could show y'all a video of Keith bounding along the rows. when I was there, there was this huge Russian guy that was bigger than life with a mane of silver hair all scrunched over planting seedlings. Barry would quietly walk about doing his crosses. It was misty that day and he called it quits early in favor of a "cuppa" to warm his bones. And here would come Keith all energy and smiles loping and bounding along like a man half his age. It was a pleasure just to be there, and I didn't even get to experience it all in the sunshine!

What I got a kick out of was Keith's compost heap, about 15 to 20 feet square and 9 feet high. Phil told me they get corncobs by the truckload all ground up. Of course, Phil was a hoot to talk to, his part of the garden has a lot of perennials and hostas and he's from the south. We just walked talked and drawled at each other for a long time.

That sounds like so much fun, bonjon. I would have really enjoyed that.

I visit Iris 4U every year. It's something that my friends/family look forward too. There's nothing like looking at all those Iris blooming!!!

another Iris 4U pic...

Heaven must be filled with Iris!

What a beautiful thought! ^_^

I hope so, 'cause that's where some of our relatives are that taught us to love these gorgeous flowers. i know my Aunt Helen is surrounded by irises and lilacs up there.

yes... as well as my Uncle Joe, who passed a year ago last May. He and my Auntie Kay got me hooked on Iris.

Beautiful thought./ I know my mom is there with a big patch of Babbling Brook.

closeup view of Mid America Gardens - it's dreary outside and I need some sunshine!

"Have a Goodun'
"Daughter of Stars'
"Dark Passion"

Here's Have a Goodun

Daughter of Stars

Dark Passion

Queen Eleanor of Equitaine

Why don't they build homes right in the middle of the Iris Fields and sell them. I would retire there and be SOOO HAPPYYY. Then I would get a cabin in the middle of a Day Lily Field. LOL

rebloomnut,

Don't you have a field yet? LOL

Sonny

Not Yet. Problem here is we have so much granite you almost have to blast. I am planning some raised beds but can't go too high as too much wind comes over the fences. Oh what to do??? Sonny don't you have a field for me?

Yes I do have a field, a field of rocks! LOL

I still can't help thinking about Charlie Brown in the Great Pumpkin, ..."I got a rock".

Sonny

I think I've told you before, rebloomnut, the story about my Brother from Missoula MT. He brought me a Larch tree, and when planting it for me, he pushed the shovel into the ground, and he had such a sigh of amazement. From that, I got the 'clue' of the hardship it must be. We have an acre of this fertile land located around Green lake.

Now for the negative...for the last 2 years, I have lost 60+ Iris each year. There has been an early Spring and a late freeze...not good!

We usually don't return from our NE home to MN until the first of May. I'm hoping this year to update this to the middle of April, hoping to try and protect my Iris more...even if it means leaving my DH for a couple weeks. I hope he will understand.

Sharon

Sharon I do remember you telling me and laughing as it had to be such a relief. Hope you get to go home a bit and save some of those beauties,. 60 is a lot to lose to old man winter. I am rather worried about a lot of things here as has snowed-melted-snowed melted. Time will tell.

Sonny I am sure Charlie Brown was from here LOL.

rebloomnut, the biggest surprise for me was realizing that Schreiners had all these fields of irises along the railroad right of way! You know, that land between the road and the railroad tracks?! I've always just wanted to ride that train for about a mile.

No Kidding Bonjon. Boy I would buy 50 round trip tickets to the towns on wither side LOL. We might have to do that and ask them to go REAL SLOW.

Bonjon,

My zone is Sunset 2A or a marginal(?) zone 6. I have a really neat little micro climate.

Sonny

Ok let me try to narrow down to 5
Louisa's Song
Decadence
Dark Passion
Cat's Eye
Nine Lives

I will not list the new ones from this year as ordered from Keith Keppel, Mid America and Iris4U...

The above is because when you work them you only seem to get better and better beauty and bigger and brighter

D