In a fit of enthusiasm a few years ago, I accepted several donations of irises from friends splitting their plants. It is hard to dislike an iris: pretty foliage, a nice flower, and needs no attention except periodic splitting of the root (to make even more plants).
I've now had a couple of rounds of splitting and find myself with a garden full of irises. This week they are putting on a spectacular show. There are several variations in the garden, including these purple with pale purple.
Then there is the purple with white that was here when we bought the house. These fellows have moved many times and there is a bed out front with solely this colour (I have a lot of irises!).
But then there are some mysteries. My friend Alan donated some yellow with brown that occasionally appear down low. And there is this deep purple which I may have scavenged from the neighbors when they demolished their house?
The late lilacs are also putting on their last blooms. And the peonies (below) are about to bloom on the warm SE corner of the house. The ants are loitering atop the blooms so we must be close. These blooms are about the size of a plum.
Up next: We're starting to see some progress with the vegetables. The strawberries have set fruit and it looks like a good crop so far. Alas, the apples don't appear to have pollinated. I can count the number of bees I have seen this year on one hand. Friends in Calgary have two hives in their backyard--I doubt I could sell that to the missus! The corn is growing nicely out back (some of the transplants are over a foot tall). And the beans and squash I interplanted are germinating.
I've now had a couple of rounds of splitting and find myself with a garden full of irises. This week they are putting on a spectacular show. There are several variations in the garden, including these purple with pale purple.
Then there is the purple with white that was here when we bought the house. These fellows have moved many times and there is a bed out front with solely this colour (I have a lot of irises!).
But then there are some mysteries. My friend Alan donated some yellow with brown that occasionally appear down low. And there is this deep purple which I may have scavenged from the neighbors when they demolished their house?
The late lilacs are also putting on their last blooms. And the peonies (below) are about to bloom on the warm SE corner of the house. The ants are loitering atop the blooms so we must be close. These blooms are about the size of a plum.
Up next: We're starting to see some progress with the vegetables. The strawberries have set fruit and it looks like a good crop so far. Alas, the apples don't appear to have pollinated. I can count the number of bees I have seen this year on one hand. Friends in Calgary have two hives in their backyard--I doubt I could sell that to the missus! The corn is growing nicely out back (some of the transplants are over a foot tall). And the beans and squash I interplanted are germinating.
No comments:
Post a Comment