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.

Early May Garden

Rhododendron 'Southgate Brandi'

Rhododendron 'Southgate Brandi'

This year for the first time I have flowers on a Rhododendron I planted several years ago. Rhododendron 'Southgate Brandi' had formed buds the previous spring, but the deer ate them before they had a chance to open, so this past winter I put up a barrier to keep them away, and finally get to enjoy the gorgeous pink flowers. 

On the east side of the house, while the delicate bells of the Carolina Silverbell tree have dropped to the ground and begin to set their curious four-sided pods, the Virginia Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) brings forth its frothy flowers and leaves, highlighted by the patch of dark purple columbines. It's amazing how quickly everything changes in a matter of days at this time of the year. 

 

East side beds

Virginia Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) with purple Columbines

 

Other surprises awaited me here--the variegated Jacob's ladder (Polemonium 'Brise d'Anjou') presented its first delicate blue blossoms. The leaves of this cultivar as so gorgeous the plant really doesn't need any flowers to be more decorative, but together they are lovely.

Polemonium 'Brise d'Anjou' with Ajuga 'Black Scallop'

Another Rhododendron which had not been prospering I transplanted to a shady spot of the front yard last summer, where it would be more sheltered from the wind. As you can see, it is definitely happier in its new location and covered with lovely white blossoms.

Rhododendron 'Unique'

Rhododendron ' Unique'

 

The Azalea 'General Semmes' which I dug up and replanted into a shallow pot to place under the shade of the cherry tree in front is also looking better. These acid-loving favorites don't do well in our alkaline soils, so I've been experimenting with ways to provide them with more favorable conditions, from pouring lots of sulphur to acidify the soil around them, to transplanting into pots with more suitable soil. The latter solution may be my best bet eventually, but I enjoy these experiments and learning through trial and error.

 

Azalea 'General Semmes'

The irises exploded into color around the first of the month. My front walk, despite becoming more shaded as the trees grow, is very colorful at the moment.

 

Irises by the front walk.

The front bed on the west side of the garage is also brimming with flowers: bearded and Dutch irises. Soon the roses will begin to make their show.

Dutch iris

Yellow and Dutch irises on the west

As the early spring daffodils and narcissus fade, other flowers begin to emerge. The scent of the lilacs in back yard is permeating the whole area. The purple 'Bloomerang' lilac has reached it final size, I hope. The other lilac 'Primrose,' which was supposed to have pale yellow flowers seems to not be the variety I purchased, but something else with white flowers. The flowers are not very plentiful this year--several stems died off over the winter, but I hope it will recover soon.

The back yard on May 1st.

Back yard.

Circle of Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica)

The circle of Spanish Bluebells under the Zelkova tree is already past its peak--the photo above was taken about a week ago. The Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost' has leafed out and the Ninebark tree 'Amber Jubilee' in front of it seems to have survived the depredations of the deer.  The new conifer I planted last fall, the tiny Korean fir on the left (Abies koreana 'Horstmans Silberlocke'), is getting ready to bring forth some new shoots. This should develop into a silvery beauty eventually reaching some ten to fifteen feet high.

The yard from the west side of the house.

The Clematis montana odorata climbing on the trellis mounted on the brick wall of the house is also blooming, along with some of the perennials in the border below.

Clematis montana odorata

Thalictrum aquilegiflorum 'Nimbus White'

In one of the back beds the meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegiflorum 'Nimbus White') that bloomed last year for the first time, is fuller this year, with more flower spikes. It's such a delicate-looking plant! I've planted some seeds of the more ordinary meadow rue also but it's hard to tell at this point if they have sprouted, among so many other weeds hatching. I added a Royal fern (Osmunda regalis) behind it, the tiny fronds are barely visible thus far, but will reach nobler proportions in a few years.

Soon the roses and peonies will be starting. I can hardly wait to see some of the new varieties I added in the last couple of years that have yet to offer their first blooms, as well as what other shrubs and the annuals I planted from seed this spring will bring to the summer garden.

Spring Walk at Blandy Farm

Carolina Silverbell tree (Halesia carolina var. 'monticola').

 

It was a gorgeous spring afternoon and I was still aching from the previous day's exertions in my garden so I decided to take the afternoon off to visit the Virginia State Arboretum, and check out what was blooming. The Arboretum, AKA Blandy Farm in these parts, has so many different and lovely plantings, it was hard to choose where to start. I had in mind a few trees I wanted to check, like the Buckeye trees in the back forty whose seed I had collected and sprouted in my home garden.

The dogwood allee.

But first I walked toward the main house and turned left into the dogwood allee--this view would make a lovely plein air watercolor, if I could get to it before the flowers fade. This afternoon I just wanted to look and photograph. As I walked down the path, a gorgeous red-flowered tree caught my eye.

Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia var. 'splendens')

Close-up of flowers from A. pavia 'splendens'

I was fairly certain that it was a Red Buckeye tree, yet the flowers were so profuse I had to check out the identifying tag--yes, it was labeled Aesculus pavia splendens, a variety of Red Buckeye with very dense panicles of bright scarlet flowers. I looked around to see if there were others of the same variety, but there was only one other tree, a much older specimen with less showy flowers. This one had no visible tag, but I presume the older tree was the more common A. pavia.

Turning off towards the hillside gardens I came across a lovely iris garden filled with colorful dwarf iris varieties. These below are two of them.

Dwarf iris

Dwarf iris

A little farther down the hillside I found the native woodland trail which I had never explored before, and turned in. This trail was shaded and under the tree canopy were some Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica) plants setting seed, lots of native violets both blue and white, woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) and toadshade (Trillium sessile). One of the many Blandy Farm volunteers was working up a sweat pulling undesirable plants by the side of the trail.

Seed pods of Virginia Bluebells with native phlox and toad shade

Further on there was an old stone chimney, presumably the remains of what was once an old house on the property, with Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) growing in its cracks. I've always been partial to romantic ruins, and found this very appealing.

 

Herb Robert growing in the cracks of an old stone chimney.

It wasn't until almost at the end of the trail that I spied a huge tree covered with lovely white bells and recognized it as a Carolina Silverbell tree (Halesia tetraptera var. monticola)--very similar to the tree I have in my garden, except that mine is not the var. "monticola.' In fact, there were not one but two enormous trees! I had no idea the Carolina Silverbell trees could get that big, and wondered how long ago they had been planted. Unfortunately Blandy's website doesn't say when, but it does mention that both are state champion trees, which means they are the largest specimens of this species in the entire state.

Carolina Silverbell tree (Halesia tetraptera var. monticola)

Close-up of the Carolina Silverbell flowers

Under the shade of these beautiful trees was another interesting shrub: Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus), whose flowers have the fragrance of the allspice in its common name.

Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus)

I finished my round walking through the courtyard of the mansion to see what was blooming there. Several varieties of Viburnums such as V. carlesii and V. burkwoodii with their wonderful perfume adorned the corners, but my most interesting find was a large clump of Poet's Laurel (Danae racemosa) growing underneath one of the Viburnums and full of desiccated berries. I've been wanting to grow this plant in my garden and it's hard to find as well as quite expensive, so I collected some of the berries to try to sprout at home. 

Once my exploration of the main garden was complete it was time to drive out to the Buckeye grove on the back of the property. The Buckeyes were all in bloom. I was particularly interested in seeing what the Aesculus x mutabilis flowers looked like, since that was the tree whose seeds I'd collected and sprouted. I expect my seedlings will be only one of the hybrid's parents, either the red A. pavia or A. sylvatica, the Painted Buckeye. Time will tell which when my seedlings eventually bloom.

Flowers of Aeasculus x mutabilis

The flowers of A. x mutabilis turned out to be a pale, greenish yellow with touches of orange-red. I took photos and planned a return the very next day to paint them from life. There were several trees of this hybrid variety in the grove, a small specimen of A. pavia ' splendens' and another variety A. glabra, the Ohio Buckeye, whose flowers are very similar, although these hadn't opened yet.

Finishing my round I stopped to check out the Stewartias and Franklinias before heading back to my car. The first leaves of the Franklinias were just starting to unfold. The Stewartias had leafed out but no buds were showing--I'll have to keep an eye out since I want to admire them in full bloom.

April Showers

The back yard in April.

 

As the garden resurrects with much-awaited April showers, the seasonal sequence of flowers continues to unfold: the Forsythia, daffodils, narcissus and other early spring bulbs, then as those are beginning to fade, the flowering trees start to display their loveliness. This week the Redbud (Cercis canadense) in my back yard has unfurled its rosy boughs and the plump buds of the double flowering quince are opening.

 

Double flowering quince

I still have the deer barriers up, so the quince can't be admired as it should be, but I don't want to take any chances until there's enough other vegetation for the deer to browse--otherwise they will pounce on my gourmet "salad bar" in favor of the more ordinary grub found in the woods.

The Kwanzan cherry tree in front has yet to fully open, only a few blossoms have opened so far, while the white dogwood, which hardly bloomed last year, is loaded with blossoms opening much earlier than usual. Last year the cherry bloomed in the first week in April, but then came two hard frosts that blighted many a tender shoot.

 

Front yard

Earlier this spring the thermometer dropped alarmingly low for two nights, just as my beautiful yellow Magnolia 'Butterflies,' whose buds had already shed their fuzzy winter coats, were starting to open. The flowers were completely ruined! Mother nature can be so treacherous at this time of the year...

 

Ajuga 'Black Scallop'

Still, life goes on in the garden... the Ajuga 'Black Scallop' planted last year is spreading nicely and starting to bloom. The tiny bells of the Carolina Silverbell (Halesia tetraptera) tree are unfolding, and the Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) is in full bloom. It will be some years before the Serviceberry attains enough growth to make much a of show, but it's making progress.

Carolina Silverbell tree (Halesia tetraptera)

Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis)

One of my Bergenias (AKA "Pigsqueak" in these parts) managed to survive the frost and produced flowers, while the buds on another plant just a few feet away didn't make it. Why would that be? This one was closer to the house wall, perhaps the wall retained enough heat to help the buds survive?

 

Bergenia 'Winter Glow'

The dwarf iris 'Bluebeard' has come into bloom so early that it's coinciding with the flowering of the grape hyacinths. I have several varieties of  grape hyacinths: the ones with the light blue caps are M. aucheri, the ordinary purple are M. armeniacum, and some white ones, M. armeniacum 'White Magic.'

Dwarf iris 'Bluebeard'

Grape hyacinths (Muscari aucheri and M. armeniacum)

The Fothergilla shrub is starting to open its honey-scented blossoms, and so many other shrubs planted last year are breaking dormancy now. I'm planting a number of annuals from seed this spring, as well as the usual bedding and potted plants. I'm curious to see how these new ones will enhance and fill my flower beds this year.

 

Fothergilla gardenii

 

 There's so much more to come, I can hardly wait!