A few favorites from May

This is 'Hold My Hand'. It's one of my favorite new irises this year. The bloom is huge and it always just knocks your socks off.

Love the coloring of this one. Great picture.

wow! looks like a beauty! How big is the bloom? Looks like a monster.

This is 'Bowled Over'

"Hold My Hand" is 8" across and it's falls are 3 and a half by 3 and a half inches. It's one of the largest ones in the garden. I think that "Dusky Challenger" is taller but Hold My Hand holds it's falls straight out from beginning to the end.

This is 'Sweet Linda'. For some reason I just love this flower.

This message was edited May 10, 2006 8:53 PM

This is Finishing School. Another iris with a generous size bloom. Although not as big as 'Hold My Hand'

And "Ostentacious"

Gorgeous iris AND photos Dorothie. Where did you get the top 3? I wish I lived next door - - just to pop on over to see them in person! :-)

~Margie

I LOVE that HOLD MY HAND, guess that will have to be found and bought.

Super iris and pictures.

Thank you Dorothie for sharing them with all of us.

D

Hold My Hand is a Blyth intro and I got it from Keith Keppel. Bowled Over is from Ghio at Bay View. Sweet Linda is a Cadd and I got if from Blue J.

And thanks for the photo comment, Margie. It means a lot coming from you. I'm finding that one of the big keys is taking the time to crop them. I've been taking them a little farther away now and I get less distortion. Then cropping them brings them closer. I do think that it's working.

This is 'Sweet and Spacey'


This message was edited May 11, 2006 1:14 PM

Beauties! Something about Ostentacious, the color combo, I just love that combo. Doss, your pictures are always outstanding! I almost have my DH talked into getting a new camera for us!!!! Whoopie!

Your new beauties this year are sensational!

It made a huge difference when we bought a new camera last fall. I've been amazed. My hands shake so I needed a camera that controls that and my Panasonic does. It's happening in more and more cameras though. It's the extra megapixils that allow me to crop and still have the photos good. I have noticed though that when I load them onto DG they lose some color.

Here's "Bel Esprit"

Fantastic blooms and photos! I can always count on you for the WOW factor. :-)

Sandy

Wonderful photos, Dorothie! I'll have to try your technique on my pictures. I always try to get as close as I can to the flower, but sometimes they look strange in the photo. I have found that my new camera really makes a difference in my photos too.

Did I miss the name on the one you posted today at 8:48am? I think the other ones you talked about in that post were above this one, but I could be wrong. LOL

I can see why you like 'Sweet Linda.' She's gorgeous!

Yes Mindy, I forgot to put the name in. I edited it to say that it's 'Sweet and Spacey'. I was trying to get really close too but the falls would sometimes look like balloons since they were closer. This works SO much better. I can get better camera angles too.

The plants do most of the wow, Sandy. I'm posting my best.

This one is 'Clothed In Glory'

Thank you for the name......now adding to my list. LOL

Oh my Doss, that Clothed in Glory really fits it's name. It's awesome. I think it just went on my list of wishes, which is ever changing. LOL.

Ever changing is a good way for a list to be. This is Man About Town. I sure wish that it would photograph better. It's so stunning in person but it doesn't really show in a photo. A photographer friend said that colors across the color wheel don't really photograph well together so much of the detail is lost.

This is "Applause Line'. The colors are really intense.

I just looked and my season started about 2 months ago. It's amazing how long the season can be with a lot of different cultivars.

AL is super! Great shot. I wish I were a better photographer but that has never been one of my better things. My father used to say that I needed a PHD camera and I think I have to agree. Now you may wonder what a PHD is Push Here Dummy...

Thanks for sharing all the super pictures.

D

My camera has helped a lot - amazingly so. I decided to get a new one last year and color is so much better. Also the clarity of the photo is better.

Well, I do have a PHD camera. LOL But I find that if you know a little bit more about them, the pics turn out better. Figuring out how to set the white balance on mine has REALLY helped my pics turn out more true to color.

Sources for Ostentatious / Sweet and Spacey, / Man about Town? Terrific collection!
Sharon

Man About town is in Mid America's catalog this year. Sweet and Spacey and Ostentatious are in Aitken's catalog. You can find links to their sites in the Watchdog. You'll like them.

Stunning! Both the photos and the iris.

Man About Town is stunning. If it is that gorgeous in the picture, I would love to see it in person!

Man about town is a nice size too. By the way, Dusky Challenger is blooming right now and it's not much bigger than 'Hold My Hand'.

Well, there are a few more as the season winds down in zone 9 that I wanted to share.

This is Waimea Canyon

And this is 'Granddaughter's Grin'

This is Ancient Echoes

Incredible iris photos! thanks for sharing...

Thanks Wanda - I've been enjoying yours too. It's great to extend the season and get to enjoy all of those flowers we don't have money, time or space to grow, isn't it?

Or see the successful ones others are growing.

Now that is a really good point. I get to see all of those SDB that I can't grow here.

This is Braveface

You can't grow Dwarfs in California? I have trouble with Ariel bred.

Dwarfs need a little winter chill which we can't give them. So sad!

Really lovely blooms, Ancient Echoes is stunning!

I have one dwarf that bloomed for me, 'Raspberry Jam'. I have three other ones that I'm sending to Maine (maineroses), they should like it there.

Someone said (maybe laurief ?) that dwarfs are being bred for milder climates-I need to check into that.

Sandy

This message was edited May 25, 2006 8:02 PM

Could be fun! This year a lot of my IM's are blooming at the end of the season. Who knows why?

Boy, I'll SHIP you some extra winter chill... We have plenty to spare.