In A Vase On Monday – Pass Alongs
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens.
In A Vase On Monday – Pass Alongs
A bright spot in 2020 was a gift of tall bearded irises I had admired on the Instagram feed of petalsandwingsimages. The rhizomes arrived in September but made no flowers last year. This week they revealed themselves, dark inky blue buds opened into delicate lavender confections. I had made a note that the foliage was variegated but it no longer seems to be. The irises are lightly scented, almost sweet.
Tall bearded iris – passalong from petalsandwingsimages. Japanese Roof Iris in background
Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)
Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)
Planted nearby are shorter Japanese roof iris. These beardless iris were rescued for me one summer a couple decades ago by a friend whose master gardener neighbor was dividing and sharing his. The fringed crest is white, falls and standards are purple.
Iris tectorum (Japanese Roof Iris)
Through the years my mother’s first cousin, Virgie, shared many garden plants with me and when we moved to this house in 2001 I brought along quite a few. One treasured pass along is a rose that she, my mother, and my grandmother all grew. The first flower opened Sunday, just in time to be included in my vase of pass alongs this week.
Virgie’s Rose
Materials
Flowers
Dianthus Ideal Select Mix
Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)
Iris tectorum (Japanese Roof Iris)
Virgie’s Rose
Foliage
Helleborus
Container
Stoneware pitcher glazed with bands of cream, green, blue. (pitcher and 4 cups, Pringle Pottery, North Carolina, circa 1977)
Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)
Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)
Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.
pbmGarden 
There is nothing better than a passalong plant. I like that pop of red in your vase.
Thanks Judy. Honestly I’d planned it to be monochrome, but when I discovered the rose open I couldn’t resist including it.
Lovely gifts! I really admire the speckled falls of the I. tectorum.
Thanks Eliza, yes they’re very special plants.
The irises are such a sumptuous colour Suzie and the rose too. Plants from family members and friends are most special indeed. I do like that expression ‘pass along’ – one that we should adopt on this side of the pond.
Anna, I agree getting plants from others makes them even more special–treasured reminders that come each year. Don’t remember where I learned the phrase “pass along” but it does capture the idea nicely.
It’s wonderful to have plants that come with specific memories. I love all your Iris and the rose is spectacular.
Thanks Kris. The irises are the stars of the moment. The rose is particularly special because I remember it from my childhood.
Like Anna I admire the term passalong. Your inherited rose is a perfect companion to those lovely irises.
Thank you Noelle. Now I’m wondering how you would refer to a plant that’s been passed along?
Yes, clearly we in the UK are very taken with the ‘passalong’ terminology and should adopt it ourselves – and of course Anna is right in saying that it makes the plants even more special. But what on earth is a Japanese roof iris I wonder and where did it get its name? I prefer these non-bearded ones, but your jugful of mixed irises is stunning, creating a very different effect from irises in a minimal ikebana arrangement – and the cheeky little rose does not seem out of place with its purple friends
Cathy, do you have a different term for “passalong”? The Japanese roof iris was historically used on thatched roofs in China and Japan. Nicely adaptable iris.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/iris-tectorum/
How intriguing about the iris! And no, no real equivalent term to passalong!
Beautiful and a lovely memory as well. I moved some Iris plants this morning, but mine are about 4-6″ tall right now.
Thank you Judy. I need to divide my irises and have been told to wait until mid-July, but I think I’ll be more likely to actually do it now before it gets so hot.
I moved some on Monday because I’m with you about the heat.
Treasures from friends and family..is passalong one word or two? Jealous of the Iris and the Rose – Enjoy.
Funny you should ask! I nearly always use passalong as one word, although in searches it seems to come back as two. Just decided two looked better for the title! The rose is beginning to open more–it’s a special memory.
i’m in favor of one word…I have Dahlia buds, so excited.
Dahlias already. Yay!
Fingers crossed. The buds look really small to me. Labyrinth?
I loved having pass alongs in my garden…..these are so special and gorgeous in the vase.
Thanks Donna. Passalongs do hold a special place in the garden.
The irises are just lovely, and the splash of red from the rose is a nice touch. 😃
Thank you Cathy. The individual blooms on irises don’t last very long in a vase, but some new ones have opened.
THIS is precisely why I have a rule against purchasing certain perennials, particularly iris. (However, there is one that I would purchase if I ever find it to be available, but I won’t.)
Yes, they’re easily obtainable through friends. Well, what’s the one iris you’d like to have so much you’d be willing to buy it?
‘San Jose’! The color combination is horrid, but with a name like ‘that’, it MUST be totally AWESOME!