My maternal grandmother grew rows and rows of flowers for cutting—Dutch Iris in spring and Gladioli in summer. When five or six years old I sometimes spent the night with her and every morning we would head out early in the morning to clip the flowers that were ready to be added to her large, tall vase.
I have only a couple of Dutch Iris, just enough to make me smile and be happy when they bloom. The warm temperatures of the last few days must be encouraging them. I first noticed their tall stems this weekend. By this morning buds suddenly were bulging and by late afternoon, a single flower had opened.
Dutch Iris
Dutch Iris
Also Blooming
I added a few more Daffodil bulbs last fall, something I had planned to do for years and never quite got around to before. These new Thalia Daffodils opened this week, in front of the Ilex crenatea ‘Drops of Gold.’
Thalia Daffodil
At the street end of the side garden a large patch of Emerald Blue Phlox is almost in full bloom.
Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Blue’ (Emerald Blue Phlox)
pbmGarden 
Your flowers are quite lovely, extra special the connection to friends or relatives.
Thanks Charlie. My grandmother must have grown other types of flowers too but these are the ones I associate with her.
Wonderful to have such lovely memories of your grandmother, plant associations like this keep the person alive for you. Your temperatures must have risen a lot for the iris to be flowering so soon, lucky you!
Pauline, yes we have had a week of warm, spring days that were perfect for enjoying the garden. Today is going to be in the mid-80s though, almost summer suddenly.
A beautiful iris! I haven’t seen any white ones for some time, but they are very effective. I can imagine just 1 in a vase on its own would look lovely.
Thanks Cathy! These were probably from a bag of mixed colors but the white survived through the years. I hope there will be a deep blue also but no signs of it yet. I’ll try one of these blooms in a vase to brighten up the inside.
Like Pauline I am envious that your temperatures must have risen but am also surprised that the Iris is flowering at the same time as the Daffodil. My Daffodils have finished but the Irises will be a while before they flower. Here the wild Iris are flowering now always long before the Dutch Irises. Christina
Wish I could send some warm weather your way Christina. We finally have had a string of lovely spring days and temperatures are still climbing (into the 80s today). Rain later in week may help moderate them though.
The Tete-a-Tete miniatures are still blooming along with the Thalia Daffodils pictured here. Both are new bulbs this year and I probably planted them late, which may account for their late bloom time this first year (will have to see what happens next year). My original group of daffodils (King Alfred) finished much earlier, so it’s nice to have some different ones now. None of my other types of Irises are ready to bloom yet either. I would love to see wild iris–do you mean they grow wild along the fields?
I like your thalia daffs! I used to have some of them in my previous garden, I shall buy some again. As for the dutch iris i like them, in particular for their exaggerate highness but unfortunately they last for so short, I got rid of one of the two large clumps that were in my garden. They’re pretty but one is enough. At least you have sweet memories linked to this flower.
Glad you like the Thalias Alberto. On one side of the central walkway they are blooming, but on the other side none are blooming. Makes for a very asymmetrical planting. I agree the Dutch Iris blooms don’t last for long. I cut one to try inside today. We’ll see how it does.
I am looking forward to my phlox and iris blooming…daffs are just about to start blooming.
Glad the daffodils are getting ready Donna. Hope they put on a good show.
Delicate blooms!
I love this time of year when the first blooms arrive.