Thanks, once again, to commentor Glidwrith for these photos from their lunchtime rambles:
Top photo: These are pretty ubiquitous, sort of a California daisy.
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Thanks, once again, to commentor Glidwrith for these photos from their lunchtime rambles:
Top photo: These are pretty ubiquitous, sort of a California daisy.
Also fairly common, still don’t know its name.
Someone planted multi colored kale. I was surprised that they sprouted bright yellow flowers.
Last one, the ever present bird of paradise.
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Some of these are distinctly Dr. Seussian!
What’s going on in your gardens, this week?
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From commentor Melissa M:
We recently went to New Hampshire for a wedding, then down to Cape Cod for three days to see an old friend who is doing some life cleaning of his musical instruments (anyone want a baroque viol, hit me up!).
He lives in the home that’s been in his family since around 1900 (original house built in 18th century?).
It’s on a pond which I found utterly peaceful and would just go and sit and watch the lone cormorant fishing or the heron come in and go fishing or osprey, etc.
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Lovely photos… I can almost hear the cicadas singing!
What’s going on in your gardens, this week?
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More great photos from Mike in Oly:
As much as I love the historic bearded irises I cannot be without some of the beardless irises as well. Here is a selection of them that bloomed for me this season.
(A few either didn’t bloom or will be blooming soon, so adding a couple of shots from previous years of them.)
At top: Dutch iris ‘Eye of the Tiger’ – A bulbous variety that is good for use as a cut flower. They do well here and last if the drainage is good. I like this odd color combo.
I. douglasiana – a Pacific coast species, it requires mild wet winters and dry summers.
I. tectorum – the Japanese ‘roof iris’. Legend has it that this variety was grown on thatch roofs to lower the chance of fire, and the rhizomes were dried and ground into powder to use as a cosmetic by the ladies of the household.
I. tenax – Our local native iris. I have several versions of it grown from wild collected seed from Washington and northern Oregon. Such a dainty looking thing but it is tough. Local tribes grew it on their prairies to use in braiding ropes.
i. foetidissima – I have the yellow form. It has been blooming for over a week but I just noticed it a few days ago. Very drab flowers do not catch the eye, but when their seed pods pop open in the fall the bright orange seeds sure do!
This is a species ripe for hybridizing and improvement. Little work has been done. It does well in dry shade, but likes zone 6 or higher. Does very well in a Mediterranean climate.
‘French Buttercream’ – A pseudata iris, being a species cross of I.pseudacorus and I. ensata, this was a new break that came about in the 90s and has gained popularity with many varieties being named and registered. A good grower and gorgeous bloom. Our local hummingbirds love them.
I. chrysographes – I rescued this last year after years of it struggling under a peony, and moved it to better digs. It survived and increased but did not bloom this year.
This variety came from seed collected and grown by Dan Hinkley at Heronswood nurseries back in the day. He called it ‘Kiwi Black’ but never registered it. It is in the Siberian iris family of species. A very elegant flower, in my opinion.
Hope you enjoyed these!
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Minor brag: Just picked (and shared with the Spousal Unit) our first ripe cherry tomatoes of the year — variety Wee Tang Shebang. Right on schedule, despite my secret hopes for an early start after the unseasonably warm spring. The other plants are doing well, but it’ll be a week or more before even the other cherry tomatoes (Sun Gold and Chocolate Sprinkles) ripen…
What’s going on in your gardens, this week?
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Thank you, commentor Glidwrith:
I started taking photos of flowers I see on my one mile walk at lunchtime at work. I send the more interesting ones to my mom. These aren’t in my garden and I don’t know what most of them are, but I find it fascinating at the sheer variety of plants, if you just take the time to look.
The first [top] one is honeysuckle, and I know this is Texas privet.
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Now that the iris bloom season is mostly over I thought I would send some photos and a garden report from the beautiful city of Olympia in the great PNW.
It was an odd season to be sure. The cold spring temps stayed late into May which greatly delayed the irises getting going, and then we immediately jumped into the upper 80s which sent them rocketing upward all at once.
Half of my big bed with the oldest stuff, mostly diploids from pre-1920, was absolutely
overflowing with blooms. A really fantastic show.The other half (mostly 1930 thru 1960s varieties) was not so exuberant and showed up later and with less enthusiasm, but just as much beauty.
My variety ‘Juliet’ took Best of Section at the local iris show, but was not good enough to take Queen Of Show.
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I need more pictures, people!
What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?
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Thank you, Paul M:
My son’s maternal grandmother does not have a green thumb, she has a green arm.
She grows dozens of different plants at her home on Saint Augustine Beach.
As with my post in April from Micanopy, FL, I don’t know exactly what is what (until we get to the last 2 photos), so I won’t attempt to identify what you are looking at.
The first below picture is her front yard from the street, and the second is the yard from west to east.
(I think the first close up is a desert rose, correct me if I’m wrong.)
These are the grape and teardrop tomatoes that she grows. I can tell you they taste better than any similar tomatoes that you will find in most supermarkets.
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And here I’m feeling pleased that I’ve got the first two pea-sized cherry tomatoes (Wee Tang Shebang) swelling green in my tomato patch…
What’s going on in your gardens, this week?
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Iris are among my favorites — the (almost) perfect ‘set ’em and forget ’em’ flower, in every color except true red. Thank you, ace photographer & estimable gardener Ozark Hillbilly!
It was a good year for my Irises. Thought I’d share a few pics with the Jackaltariat.
The Dime Store Irises are so called because one can get them damned near anywhere.
I like the Yellow one but the other 2 [including top photo] are a little too gaudy for my tastes.
I got the Double Date and Brief Beauty Irises at the MO Botanical Garden Iris show.
The Salmon Pink Iris, I am unsure of where I got it from. I’ve had it for a couple years and this is the first time it bloomed. I think I’m in love.
My white iris was a no show this year, made me sad. This last pic is just Percy photo bombing my pics as he always does…
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The unseasonably mild winter actually played hell with our irises. A bunch of the Spousal Unit’s favorite dwarf varieties disappeared entirely (I suspect varmints), and the others — including the indestructible generic ‘van Gogh’ irises — just aren’t blooming with their usual vigor. But there’s always *next* spring…
So far (largely by accident), I’ve kept my resolve; only ten mail-order tomato plants in the rootpouches this year. Most of them are starting to set blossoms, and I need to install the tomato ladder supports later today.
What’s going on in your gardens, this week?
Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Iris, Flowers of the Rainbow GoddessPost + Comments (40)