Iris Season

Iris on front walk

I love this time of the year when the irises bloom--there isn't a more regal flower than the much hybridized bearded or German iris! This year my irises started blooming much earlier than usual, the buds were up in the last weeks of April, and the flowers began to open the first days of May.

The colorful clump of bearded irises by the front walk was planted right after we moved here, and last spring I expanded the bed, which was becoming overcrowded. Odd how this year I seem to have only one flowering spike of the white variety, but since the yellow and the purple bi-color bloom earlier than the other varieties, a few more white flowers may yet emerge. Plants are notoriously capricious that way: producing record blooms one year, then sparsely or not at all on other years.

White bearded iris.

The bed by the driveway

On the other side of the driveway there are more yellow and pink irises, and some Dutch iris. I transplanted the Dutch iris a few years ago after noticing that they weren't flowering much--the more vigorous lavender was crowding them out--and they've taken a couple of years to settle in their new locations before starting to bloom again.

Pale lavender Dutch iris.

Dutch iris in the back bed.

The old-fashioned irises from my mother's garden in Falls Church continue to grow more lush in the "Little Indians" bed in back. My sister Bea, who had grown these in her Maryland garden, gave me a few rhizomes about six years ago when I was starting to expand the bed that runs along the property line with my neighbor. Although smaller and not as showy as the current spectacular hybrids, this variety has a wonderful scent that permeates this corner of my garden.

Irises in the Little Indians bed.

The long island bed in the back yard includes a few more irises. The dwarf iris 'Bluebeard' bloomed very early, around mid-April, and is now done for the year. One of the other two varieties, 'Blatant', was attacked by a large rodent that tunneled underground and ate some of the rhizomes, and has not bloomed this spring--a real shame, but since it's a re-blooming type, I'm hoping it will recover enough to bloom in the fall. The other variety, the stunningly tall 'Victoria Falls' is particularly lovely this year.

Iris 'Victoria Falls'

The backyard island bed.

The red honeysuckle 'Major Wheeler' is laden with blossoms--we sighted the first hummingbird on May 1st, and the hummers have been visiting regularly since then. The double-flowering quince has been displaying blooms since early April and it's still going--the coral color complements 'Major Wheeler' beautifully.

Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) in bloom.

Newer plants in my garden are the Pagoda dogwood blooming above, and a hybrid Tall Meadow Rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium 'White Nimbus') planted two years ago which bloomed for the first time this year. The hybrid bugle ground cover (Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop') planted last fall is just starting to spread among the variegated Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium 'Brise d'Anjou') planted last year, but both are growing slowly--it'll take a few more years before this bed begins to fill out.

Meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium 'Nimbus White')

Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop' with variegated Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium 'Brise d'Anjou')

I've grown flowering onions (Alliums) for some years now, the large-flowered purple 'Globemaster' and the yellow Allium moly. Last fall I planted another dozen Alliums 'Persian Blue' (Allium caeruleum) in one of my new beds, and the flowers are lovely, but not the deep blue color I'd hoped for. Perhaps it's the PH of the soil, but mine are a deep magenta; still, it composes beautifully with the blue-green foliage of the daffodils under the Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost'.

Allium 'Globemaster'

Allium moly

Allium caeruleum.

Next up will be the roses and other late spring bloomers, can't wait to see what they'll be like this year!

More Garden Beauty

Virginia Fringe Tree in East bed.

My garden looks so wonderful at this time of the year, it's hard to choose what to post! The succession of flowers and combinations of color is serendipitous. This section of the bed above is an example--I didn't exactly plan it, it was populated with the trees and shrubs that appealed to me at the time, and that I believed would do well in an eastern exposure where the soil retains more moisture. The bed started with the Full Moon Maple 'Shirasawanum' on the right, another Japanese maple, a dark red-leaved variety called 'Bloodgood' on the other end, and a tiny Rhododendron in the middle (the last two not visible in this shot). Over the next five years I expanded the bed by joining those three plants into a larger island bed and filled it in with the variety of plants you see here: Virginia Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) on the left, a dark purple Columbine that has spread, Ageratum and some hollies. I love it when chance results in such surprising beauty!

East bed looking the other way.

My front walk in the rain.

On the other hand, the area by the front walk was a bit more planned, with a variety of sedums and creeping thyme (Woolly and Red thyme) interspersed with low shrubs and a Double Knockout rose. I wanted to present the effect of a Persian carpet with different colors and textures around the walk, and it's taken a number of years for the plants to grow dense enough to create the effect I envisioned.

Irises in front yard.

West side front bed with Alliums, Roses, Iris and a Peony.

Iris 'Victoria Falls' in the back

Bi-color iris in back yard

The irises started to open around the first of May, and are still putting on a great show. There is something about these regal flowers that is impossible to resist. One particular surprise was the yellow dwarf iris variety called 'Bluebeard' I planted in the back yard last year-- I had not expected it to be so short, with a pale, startlingly blue beard. I hope these new irises will gradually spread to fill the area with masses of color.

Dwarf iris 'Bluebeard'

The roses and Clematis are now preparing to burst into bloom--some of the rose buds have begun to open, but I expect the peak of bloom in another week or so. It's been a very rainy May so far, and my flowers are loving it.

Spring Parade

Cherry tree in front yard.

The cherry tree in our front yard reached peak bloom on Easter Sunday--what a heavenly sight! Short-lived glory, after a few days the leaves grow out enough to overshadow the remaining blossoms, and the rest blow away. As the cherry blossoms fade, the dogwood flowers begin to open and the new leaves unfurl.

From the porch.

The creeping Phlox in the front yard continues to expand and cover more ground each year. As spring unfolds, the Redbud tree in back made a nice show, but the new daffodil beds underneath don't amount to much yet--it will take a couple more years before they fill out.

Back yard on April 21.

Flowering Quince

I managed to save my flowering quince from the worst of the winter depredations by fencing it off with plastic mesh, but the deer still managed to nip the ends of the branches that stuck out. There were still plenty of the charming double flowers for me to enjoy.

Carolina Silverbell Tree (Halesia tetraptera)

The Carolina Silverbell tree bloomed much earlier this year than last, though the flowers seemed smaller than last year's, and had a rosy tint. I wonder if the difference is due to poor soil nutrients or simply a normal year-to-year variation? Many trees have cycles of several years of poor to so-so flower production after one peak year of blossom. Since my tree flowered for the first time last year, perhaps this is one of those off-years.

Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides )

The bed of Grape Hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) and Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides) is looking good. The pink and white varieties planted two falls ago haven't grown as much as the blue ones planted several years earlier, I've no idea why. I usually find a number of the blue Muscari springing up in odd places across the lawn where I hadn't planted them--the squirrels like to dig them up and re-plant them at their whim--so this spring I've been digging these up and putting them back where they should be.

Iris 

Now is the regal irises' turn. The first to open in my yard was this stunning bi-color I planted in the back last fall--I forget the name of the variety--though it has only one flowering spike this year, hopefully there will be more next year. Behind it I planted a light blue iris called 'Victoria Falls' that is about to open, and in front is one curious dwarf yellow iris with a light blue beard, aptly named 'Bluebeard.' Unfortunately, it had only one flower, and I didn't get a photo of it in time--it's just closing up in this photo.

Iris bed in back yard.

Front yard.

The front bed is just starting its annual show, which may not be as spectacular this year because I divided the plants early this spring. The recommended practice is to divide them in late summer or fall--but I had so much other work to do I put it off until after the ground had frozen. The plants seem to have weathered the transplant fairly well, but they may not be as full as in other years.