Wandasflowers New HIPS Display Garden!

As I looked around my beds this spring, I realized how much I love my historic iris. The first TB I planted were ones my Great Grandmother brought with her when she moved in with us in the late 50s. I love the droopy falls and the varying colors. Summer drought, winter storms & root borer cannot kill them off.

Tazzy has given me some of her precious old TBs plus I have chased down others from DGers and iris growers. I have over 90 of the older ones now mixed in with my dwarfs and modern TBs.

I belong to the Historical Iris Preservation Society and am now one of only two HIPS gardens in Iowa. You are all welcome to visit in May and June when my iris bloom!

HIPS link to my garden: http://www.hips-roots.com/visitors/v-dg-frame.html

Very Nice Gardens Wanda! You're pictures give me a glimpse of what it really must look like full scale in person. Wow.

These gardens are 10-16 years old and Spring 2006 was incredible--weather was just right and no late hard frosts to wither buds. No damaging rain storms, lots of sun but not too hot. I didn't want to go to work each day, just lie out in the garden!

Lovely gardens, makes me ache for Spring. Only 3 months to go, okay;
maybe four...
How wide are the garden beds in the above two photos? In your first photo, is that a mulch on the ground or is that the color of your soil?
What is the process of being a HIPS display garden? It is something that might be interesting to me.

Your iris are breathtaking Wanda! Can't wait for Roundup!
Ron

Maybe you should open an "Iris B&B" and let people come stay with you during the blooming season. Then you could use the money to buy more....;-).

They would stay outside all day and wouldn't be able to resist deadheading and pulling weeds. You'd probably have to check their bags before they left, though......

Neil

This message was edited Jan 24, 2007 4:17 PM

Hey, I like Neil's suggestion. We would come! Your gardens are absolutely breathtaking Wanda! It must be nice to be able to look back at all those years of work and enjoy the beauty now. Congratulations!

Louanne

Simply gorgegous Wanda!! All of that work and planning really pays off, doesn't it? Those photos ought to be put in a magazine! :-)

~ Margie

Wanda,

I like Neil's suggestion too!!! After May 19th?(my 23yr old DD's wedding). I am a devoted mother sewing bridesmaids and flower girl dresses until that wedding date, then I will be FREEEE. I will need a break then and so will my twin sister who is helping me. Cedar Rapids isn't that far from Champain-Urbana, IL, is it?

Ron, What is Roundup?

I can't wait for spring either.

:) Laura

The first bed is 50 foot long & 15 foot wide with a mixed planting of daylilies, iris, lilies & other perennials. It just looks "all iris" since this is a spring pic and most other things are still short. My iris are on raised mounds with mulch between them & other plants. My souil has a heavy clay base and needs all the help it can get. I don't water and I hate to weed--the wood mulch does the job for me.

The second little bed is along the back of the house and only 4 foot wide at the point the picture is taken. THIS back bed is 50 foot x 20 foot. Again, a mixed perennial bed.

Granny Marsh, you need to join the HIPS club, grow at least 15 historics and apply as a Display Garden. I am one of only 2 in Iowa.

Neil, you are too funny! Actually, friends who picked out iris in May were forced to help dig them in July if they wanted any. I don't know if my hubby would care for house guests THAT long... :)

sempervi--A "Round Up" is an opportunity for DG people to gather, trade plants and put in some "face time" together. Check out the "Round Up Forum" for details. The 2007 Iowa Round up is going to be HERE in Cedar Rapids on May 5! YES! A group of us DGers are putting the plans together right now. YOU and ANY DGer is welcome to our fun weekend. We are planning garden tours, plant swaps, great food & lots more. MY TBs won't be in full bloom that early, but I will have lots of dwarfs & Intermediates blooming with spring bulbs & other plants.

Wanda, congrats on becoming a HIPS display garden!. Now hopefully even more people will enjoy that spectacular show some of us can only see in pictures.

If I am going to spend most of the summer digging in my garden someone might as well come to enjoy it!

Hi Wanda - quite a nice display indeed!

If sweat & backaches count, then I pay my dues every year.Gotta love my iris beds...

Nice pictures, Wanda!

Thank you. I'm in the process of picking a few for an Iris lecture I'm giving in early March to some Master Gardeners. Time to tell them that TBs DO grow in Iowa....

Congratulations on your HIPS designation! Really looking forward to seeing you in May. :)

What? I won't see you at the bulb sale in March or the Lily Judges class in April?

The Iowa Round Up in Cedar Rapids May 5th will be a bit early for my Tall Bearded Iris. I hope to have lots of dwarfs and Intermediates blooming then.

Geez.... do ya have to tell everybody how much time I spend driving there to hang out with you Iowa people?? ;)

And I don't drive to hang out with you Cornhuskers?

You know it's only under duress. ;)

What? You'll call me a "lily lover" if I don't show up?

And ruin your rep amongt these iris lovers??

Wanda,
is just a grown up flower child .
so glad you are A HIPS tour garden ,
so many of the older iris are bring lost every year .

Wanda, Your gardens are inspiring. I am watching the iris divisions you sent me this summer and they all seem to be adapting to Texas just fine! Can't wait for my first blooms!

Oh how i only wish i could be in Iowa to see such a beautiful display you have there Wanda. If i get close to your area, i will be sure and let you know so i can swing by and take in all that beauty with my eyes and nose! You are doing a wonderful job there, keep up all the great work! I had the chance this past fall to rescue some antique Iris! I planted them, about 10-12 different named varities all from Lorraine Miller, in the fall and i will definetly take pictures of them when they bloom and share the beauty with you all. It was a great pleasure to keep history growing and i hope i can spread the beauty once they multuply!

I received about 5 historic Iris from you Wanda in your iris giveaway for new subscribers this summer.. I can't wait to see them bloom.

Just my way of making America beautiful--one garden at a time.

I received some of your iris (is it suppose to be plural?) too, Wanda, and I can hardly wait to see them bloom. A piece of your garden is way down here in south Georgia.

Deborah♥

And some of your iris are happily growing in my garden in Maryland!

Great gardens, Wanda. How closely planted are your rhizomes? What else is planted with them to bloom after iris season? How do you keep your iris happy?

I plant my rhizomes in clumps on top of 4 inch high mounds about 18 inches round. The iris stay high and dry with mulch around the base of the mound & the other perennials planted with them.

I alternate iris, daylilies & other perennials to give my beds constant blooms. You can see the iris blades in this July photo of daylilies. Part of the same bed as the January 25 iris photo above.
The beds are deeper than you think---this one is 50 foot long by 20 foot deep.

Wanda,

Got my spring issue of ROOTS today, and saw your name in lights as a new display garden.

The way your name was highlighted, I thought you were a new state, LOL.

I just wanted to say congrats.

I see Laetitia, of course, is listed as a display garden. Anyone else on our forum?

I don't know--I should look. I'm looking forward to sharing my garden with others. Let's just hope all the changes I made last summer doesn't mess up the blooming period!

I'm going to see what historic roots I can offer for the HIPS sale. Lord knows they replicate quickly enough for me to donate some!

I did check, Wanda, but I can't tell their Daves Garden names if there are any.

Laetitia is listed as having 400 historic and 4500 other, mostly TB. Good grief!

In case anyone doesn't get ROOTS, my joke about Wanda is--- ROOTS has a listing of display gardens by state. All the states are highlighted, and then the peoples names and address underneath in regular lettering. But along with the states, Wandas name is highlighted. The only one.

I'm a newbie HIPS Display Garden listing in the last few days. And am pretty excited about it !!

Well, congratulations to you too!!!!!!!!! That is something to be excited about.

Don't we have a special group here.

congrats Granny I get up that way once in a while I will be sure to look you up I love gardens
Gloria

Well, thank you one and all. Now I need to get MikeU to correct the contact information.

Thanks Wanda, now I want more..(sigh ) !