First blooms on my irises! :-)

Two years ago, I started adding irises to my garden beds. JoanJ sent me a very generous trade box of lovelies, and I bought a few from the local iris society, and I also brought a couple home from the midAtlantic RU (thanks, mysticwill!). Last year, my iris bed expanded thanks to Weegy and Sugar, who generously offered to share for postage... and then Nancy (nminmd) gave me a trememdous number of beautiful purple irises for the back of the bed, and of course I picked up a few more from the local society sale again.

This year, many of the ones I put in 2 years ago are blooming, and I've even got a few blooms from irises that went in last year. Two of the plants grew into such big clumps last year that this year they are putting up well over 2 dozen bloom stalks -- quite a spectacle!

Here's the view looking into the bed where I planted those first irises... you can see the profusion of blooms starting on 'Arctic Fancy' and 'Inspiration'.

(edited to correct name)

This message was edited May 23, 2007 9:48 AM

This was one of the first to open a bloom, and now it's just blooming itself silly... it's spectacular from the other side of the yard!

'Arctic Fancy', from Joan.

(edited to correct name)

This message was edited May 23, 2007 9:48 AM

'Ritz', almost hidden in the Lamium 'Orchid Frost' that got taller than I expected this year! I think I'll move this one to a border of dwarf irises I've started putting in at the edge of a new bed...

'Feminine Fire', planted in my front landscape bed. This one turned out to be a very peachy pink, almost a gold-peach shade.... I'm not fond of peach, and it's not growing on me... Is there any chance it will bloom a more rosy shade of pink next year, or is this it? If this is its true color, then I'll be passing it along to somebody who can appreciate it properly. (Don't worry, this isn't a DGer's iris that I'm dissing -- I got it at the society sale, from somebody who told me it was pink, LOL.)

On the other hand, I'm just loving this blue TB Iris that I picked up at the society's sale...

'Great America'

Joan sent me this one as a bonus, and the color is so rich and elegant!

'Honey Glazed'

'Indian Chief' came from Sugarbean, and I love the way it echoes the color of the magenta columbine from Rikkashay!

'Inspiration' is one that Heather (mysticwill) shared with me, and it has made an enormous clump of stunning blooms this year! Wow!

The blooms on 'Loudoun Charmer' are just enormous, and the colors are breathtaking... I'm definitely charmed!

Note to JoanJ, Weegy, Sugar, and Nancy--

WAY TO GO !!!! You've hooked another iris addict!!!

In years to come, I expect to see those pesky other plants gone and only long beds of iris. Nice pictures, thanks for sharing.

'Rancho Rose' is a definite favorite... I can't get enough of those plicata markings!

LOL Neil!

Yup, I'm definitely hooked. But the other "pesky plants" are also here to stay... I'm really enjoying the combination of irises and columbines along that back bed, and I think I'll save room for more irises as I continue to plant columbines out along under my two baby pecan trees. I know the trees will eventually provide too much shade for the irises, but that's going to take a very long time LOL... when it happens, I'll find other areas to plant the irises, although DH might lose some of his pesky lawn. :-)

Speaking of DH, he just got in.... so I'll be back with more photos later... just a few remaining!

Hi your irises are beautiful I think the peach is awesome i like that one ,actually I like them all very nice . My batik is blooming and my varigated purple ,it smell like grapes very cool.....Sharon

Thanks, Sharon! I've seen photos of Batik -- gorgeous! I've been drooling over broken color irises lately, and I just got a catalog from Zebra Gardens... could be trouble... LOL!

Here's another wonderful one that Joan shared with me, 'Red Zinger'.

Ooh, actually, I think the lighting in this other photo does a better job of showing off the deep, velvety color of 'Red Zinger'.

Here's a lone bloom on 'Sea Fluff'.

Of course, irises don't have to have a name to be stunning.

The blue iris that Weegy sent me last year has put up a couple of blooms, and I love it!

And Nancy (nminmd) was digging out clumps of this un-named purple iris last year... I literally took a couple of full grocery bags of rhizomes home with me! I shared them with several people, but I put quite a few along the back of my iris bed too. She warned me that they're vigorous and would try to overgrow "fancy" named irises, so I figured that if I used them as a backdrop they could multiply as much as they liked! I think the color is beautiful on these -- they just glow.

Well, I think those are all the new bloomers! If any more start showing off, I'll add photos to this thread.

I love all the bloom photos on this forum, and I think first blooms are especially exciting, so I appreciate your taking a virtual stroll around my garden with me.

Many, many thanks to the generous irisarians (is that the right term?) who shared rhizomes with me... My garden is so much more special to me because of all the plants that were "passed along" from somebody else's garden. :-)

Wow that red zinger is a beaut to and the blue and the purple see there ain't one I don't like....Thank for the pics .....Sharon

Hi, critter! so you've been hanging out in the Iris forum now?!

You have some beauties there and they all look so big for such young plants.

I enjoyed seeing your columbines with the iris. I'm trying to do the same thing.

Thanks for the compliments! I peer out the upstairs window each morning to see what's blooming back there... :-)

I'm very pleased to report that I just arranged a new home for my underappreciated 'Feminine Fire' -- and I'm getting a plant in trade that a DG friend has been searching for! Woohooo, everybody wins!

I've got more columbines to plant out... guess that means I've got to get more irises, LOL... I just got a catalog from Zebra Gardens, and wow do they have some beauties. *drool*

I'm glad to see that they are doing so well for you Jill.

The first one you have as Arctic Frost is Arctic Fancy.

Thanks, Joan! I hope your DLs are doing well too. You definitely started something with these irises... thank you!

Yep, I caught that earlier when I was out in the garden, realized I hadn't remembered the name correctly when I was downloading photos. I'll scroll back up and correct it. :-)