Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’
Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’
Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’
Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’ and Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’
Flowers Catching Breeze With Birdsong
Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’
Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’ and Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’
Iris ‘Crimson King’
April 3, 2022 Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) on Cupressus arizonica, the Arizona cypress
April 3, 2022 Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
Question Mark with Chimes and Birdsong
Dutch Iris
Dutch Iris
The garden is on the move. Greener from above with dots of color emerging. I am supposed to be setting up for a yard sale that starts in a few minutes, but first here are a few scenes from the garden this week. Happy Saturday!
Candytuft, Grape Hyacinth and Dianthus
Candytuft, Grape Hyacinth and Dianthus
Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)
Iris ‘Crimson King’
Iris ‘Crimson King’
Iris ‘Crimson King’
Garden View On Rainy Morning Mid-week
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
The iris in my Monday vase opened earlyTuesday morning. With temperatures this week at or below freezing this week, those outdoors strategically have elected to delay.
Iris ‘Crimson King’
The second year of A Week of Flowers hosted by Cathy of Words and Herbs is coming to a close.
Here we are at Day Seven and I have yet to include irises. I love Irises and have some passalongs I’ve been growing since the late seventies such as this Iris ‘Crimson King’. It was the first iris to open this year−by March 30.
Iris ‘Crimson King’
On this final day of A Week Of Flowers, I’d like to thank Cathy for hosting. For an uplifting color boost this week visit Cathy in Germany at Words and Herbs to see florals from around the globe.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris Spring
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 – Iris Spring
A neighbor was selling flower bouquets Saturday from her porch and I could not resist when the list included lupine and viburnum. I have unsuccessfully tried growing lupine seed this year. Then the flower grower didn’t bring lupine this week after all, but threw in buttercups. The viburnum heads were fairly weak even though I conditioned the stems overnight. The color is useful though and I immediately thought it would pair well with deep purple Iris ‘Crimson King’.
Iris ‘Crimson King’ and Viburnum
I filled out the arrangement with other irises of the moment, and other odds and ends.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris Spring
In A Vase On Monday – Iris Spring
Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’
In A Vase On Monday – Iris Spring
Ranunculus bulbosus (Buttercup)
Iris tectorum (Japanese Roof Iris) and Iris ‘Crimson King’
Materials
Flowers
Iris ‘Crimson King’
Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’
Iris germanica ‘Raspberry Blush’
Iris tectorum (Japanese Roof Iris)
Phlox divaricata (Woodland phlox)
Ranunculus bulbosus (Buttercup)
Twin Sisters / Cemetery Ladies (Narcissus x medioluteus)
Viburnum
Foliage
Heuchera villosa ‘Big Top Bronze’ (Coral Bells)
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Container
Glass Pedestal Dish
In A Vase On Monday – Iris Spring
Twin Sisters / Cemetery Ladies (Narcissus x medioluteus)
As always thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for providing this opportunity to to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are offering this week.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris Spring
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
This week I have seen 5 or 6 Eastern Tiger Butterflies—a couple passing through the garden and others along the highway into town. But I have not been able to get any pictures.
Yesterday though I had my first opportunity of 2021 to photograph a butterfly when a Pearl Crescent stopped briefly on Eastern red columbine (until I tried to take its picture). Then it fluttered around and settled down on the mulched ground beneath. This is a small and common butterfly of North America.
The video belies just how active the butterfly was. I had switched to video because the wings had been beating so quickly I couldn’t get a good image. As soon as I started the video the crescent seemed to calm down and just totally chill.
Several kinds of irises have opened enough now to make a nice, colorful display.
Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’
Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’ and Iris ‘Crimson King’
Iris ‘Crimson King’
Iris ‘Crimson King’
Iris ‘Crimson King’
Nearly two dozen white Dutch Iris opened this week in a small narrow patch beside the driveway. They have been happy here for many years.
Iris × hollandica (Dutch Iris)
There is only one of this sapphire blue Dutch iris. This really is the color, just amazing.
Iris × hollandica (Dutch Iris)
Yellow pine pollen has been coating everything, the plants, flowers, porch furniture. It seems much worse than usual. A few thunderstorms helped clear the air overnight but it quickly builds back up.
Dianthus Ideal Select Mix
Post-vaccination, I resumed teaching my weekly gentle yoga and meditation class this morning at the wellness center. (My last in-person class was March 13, 2020.) Some classes are beginning to meet in person outdoors or with a limited number of people in the studios but mine is a virtual incarnation for now. It was great to see familiar faces and hear voices and laughter.
Have a great week everyone!
This is a record-keeping entry, following up on my iris flowers from yesterday. Sweetbay identified two of my passalong irises for which I am very grateful: Crimson King and Helen Collingwood. Thanks Sweetbay!
These are among the irises my Wave Road neighbor Henrietta gave me between late 1970s – early 1980s. She received them from her mother who had obtained them from a friend who grew them for a local florist in her hometown (Henderson, Hendersonville? NC)—true passalongs! I brought them to this garden in 2001.
As much as I love irises I do not really understand the categories. I have been calling all the bearded irises “Tall Bearded” although one of these is “Intermediate Bearded.” Someday maybe I’ll learn more about them but for now I am saving some information on these two irises. The descriptions are quoted from The American Iris Society’s Iris Encyclopedia.
Iris ‘Crimson King’
Iris ‘Crimson King’
(Barr and Sons, 1893). (Germanica). IB, Early bloom. Color Code-R7D.
From Treholme Gardens catalog 1928: CRIMSON KING 89 (Hallock) E. 82 G. 87 32″ E. Same coloring as Kochii but the rich deep purple flowers are larger, the stalks taller and the growth more open. A very desirable flower. 25c.
Cornell Extension Bulletin #112: “Color effect an intense violet-purple, self. Standards pansy violet, lighter to yellowish on claw and wavy along edge. falls cotinga purple, almost velvety in texture. The veining is boldly spaced on the whitish outer haft, while those on Kochii are not so prominent. Its fragrance is very good, its color very intense, and its spathe valves deeply tinged. The persistent green foliage is attractive in winter. Rating 89.”
Royal Iris Gardens 1933: 83. 30″. beautiful deep red purple. As deep as Kochii but redder. Tall, floriferous and a good grower.
Iris ‘Helen Collingwood’
Iris ‘Helen Collingwood’
‘Helen Collingwood’. (Kenneth D. Smith, 1949) TB. Midseason to late bloom. Color Class-R3D, height 40″. ‘Extravaganza’ X ‘Louise Blake’. Honorable Mention 1950, Award of Merit 1952. Smith 1950.
From AIS Bulletin #117, April 1950. Introducing HELEN COLLINGWOOD (1949). A truly brilliant creation in the neglecta class. Well branched 40 inch stalks with light lavender standards and brilliant violet purple falls. Entirely different. 4 branches. Late midseason. $25.00. K.D. Smith.
From Iris Test Garden Catalog, 1955: HELEN COLLINGWOOD. (K. Smith, ’49). M. (Extravaganza x Louise Blake). Beautiful, superb neglecta. Almost an amoena –will be highly useful for hybridizing, surely. H. M. 1950. Award Merit, ’52. $6.00.
From Cooley’s Gardens catalog for 1955: “A very brilliant Iris in the neglecta class. Standards are light lavender, the falls bright violet-purple .. a decided contrast. Stalks are 40 inches tall, sturdy and vigorous.”
‘Helen Collingwood’ is a very hardy variety, well known to be a good survivor of neglect and hence likely to be passed around over the decades. It helps that she is quite lovely and a ready bloomer, giving her much garden value. Understandably she often shows up looking for a name. — MikeUnser – 2014-05-11
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