Iris Idyll

Iris 'Victoria Falls'

 

German or bearded irises are one of my favorite flowers: so elegant! Thanks to the fascination of horticulturists with this lovely species, they have been bred to have large, frilly, spectacular flowers in just about any color combination. Blues, purples, and yellows are still among the most popular, though bi-colors are also lovely.

Irises are not particular about soil, nor do they require a lot of care, so they manage to do well in my garden. The only drawback is that their blooming season is short and sweet. Even so, there are now varieties that re-bloom in the fall.

 

Irises by the front walk.

The front walk a week later.

 

My iris collection started with a package of rhizomes that I bought from a member of  the Virginia Native Plant Society when I visited their booth at the Fall Garden Fair at Blandy Farm my first year here. I was just starting my new garden in Front Royal, and the irises were a welcome addition. The lady from VNPS told me the irises were a mixture of colors from her own garden--I have no idea what the names of the varieties are.

White Irises

It was so exciting to see them bloom that first spring, although there were only a few flowers in my small bed! These have multiplied over the years, to the extent that I've expanded the bed twice, as well as taken rhizomes to plant in other sunny beds. The white iris above, in particular, is quite unusual, with a small tongue that lifts off the pale yellow and lavender beards--never seen anything like it before. On some years, certain colors seem to predominate while others hardly appear. This year a deep purple iris has yet to manifest itself.

Yellow and 'Pink Attraction' irises

 

When I began to expand the bed next to the garage, I transplanted a few of the yellow irises, and added one that I'd bought on sale, 'Pink Attraction.' It's really more of a peach color, but blends well with the yellow and the pale lilac Dutch iris in the same bed.

 

The irises in the bed I call the "Little Indians" (the arbor vitae were originally ten and quite small) are an old-fashioned variety that my mother grew in her garden. Mom had taken a few rhizomes from the garden of an old house that was about to be demolished, preserved them in her garden and gave each of us cuttings. My sister Bea gave me a couple of small rhizomes from her garden, and they have grown and expanded greatly in the years I've been gardening here.

Anchusa azurea 'Alkanet' (on the right) with 'Victoria Falls'

 

The 'Victoria Falls' iris in this long island bed below the deck is paired with 'Blatant,' a bi-color with rusty purple falls and yellow standards which hasn't bloomed much this year--the previous spring some critter ate some of the rhizomes, and it's still recovering. This one is a re-blooming variety, as is the yellow iris--they usually put forth a few flowering spikes in the fall; unfortunately these are often stymied by early frosts.  I'm now looking for a rose-purple shade to add to my iris collection in the fall.

Last fall I added a few new plants to this bed, among them an Anchusa azurea 'Alkanet' with deep blue flowers that complements "Victoria Fall's nicely. This plant is a native of the Mediterranean region and prefers the dry conditions that our area is often subject to.

Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

The Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) has grown quite a bit since it was planted the fall before last, gaining about eighteen inches last summer. It has flowers only on a few branches this year, but I'd rather it continued to invest its energy into height at this stage. 

Korean fir (Abies koreana 'Horstman's Silberlocke')

My little Korean fir is putting forth its first shoots since being planted last fall, and I hope it will gain a bit of height this season. I imagine it will be a few years before I see any of its unusual purple cones, but who knows? This one is a grafted tree, so it might develop faster.

 

Ninebark tree 'Amber Jubilee' with Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost'

The two amber-named trees, Ninebark 'Amber Jubilee' and the Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost' have similar foliage colors that complement each other--the Amber Bed, so to speak. I'd like to add another tree behind this one and had my heart set on a white-flowering Redbud, but I waited too long to order it and all the nurseries were out of stock. Oh well, maybe next year.