Sunday, April 15, 2007

Irises reticulatae

In addition to the yellow Iris danfordiae peppered around the front yard, some other iris varieties are flowering.

A few Iris reticulata "Natascha" remain from the fifty that were planted in 2004. They have an icy blue color warmed by a yellow polka-dotted splotch.



This clear blue must be the dependable "Harmony."



These purple "'J.S.Dijt" are the odd ones out: they don't fit into the yellow and blue color scheme and their deep hue sucks up light. But they were planted first and have multipled more successfully than the others--the Iris danfordiae have to be replaced every fall--so they are here to stay.



I haven't figured out how to either grow substantial masses of these little irises or how to position them so that they read well visually. But I hope that people passing by enjoy looking at them as much as I do!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi! First time looking at your blog. You just left a comment at mine. Love the iris reticulae--I planted some last fall for the first time and they started coming up the end of March and were doing just fine, but then about 2 weeks later they disappeared! I can only surmise that some bunnies got them :(

Anonymous said...

Oh, a question: is your last frost date really April 15th? 'Cause mine (here in zone 7a, Maryland) is later than that, more like April 25th or 30th.

Doctor Mom said...

Hi Julia,

I think that I pulled that average date from a USDA or similar reputable source--but now I am doubting that I read their information correctly! Time to revise.

(And, as a Montgomery County girl born and bred, I love reading what's going on down your way!)

Anonymous said...

I love the deep purple iris! Now I want to knit something in that color.