Posted on by Donna

For The Love of Irises

“True life is lived when tiny changes occur.”  ~Leo Tolstoy

 

I love irises….I mean I really love irises.  So much so, I swoon all spring as they start to bloom from the first dwarf bearded iris to the later varieties.  But recently many of my overgrown gardens have swallowed up the irises impeding them, and so I see less and less blooms.  And then others are so overgrown they need dividing….an item on my To-Do list for the last 4 years.

I was hoping to show you the early irises and then later ones, but those plans were derailed.  So I will show you the spring irises that were blooming in late May and early June.  Many are pass-alongs so I do not have their names.

 

 

Like the purple ones in my front garden (at the top of the post), and this one that manages to hang on and bloom among the Goldenrod in the back, I love the color combos each iris displays.

 

 

The contrasting color of this wonderful pass-along greets me when I step off the patio.  It has grown in nicely.

 

 

I was pleased to see my only all-yellow iris blooming along the pond before the Milkweed took over.  It is also the only bearded iris that bloomed this year.  The others all need to be rescued and replanted.  I have big plans for them.

 

 

Another wonderful iris I love is Siberian iris…it seems to bloom more prolifically every year despite the weeds and wildflowers taking over. This amazing purple variety grows along the pond too, and is much loved by the hummers.  It is the only one I see the hummingbirds visiting.

 

 

I adore the light purple and open flower of this Siberian iris that blooms around the patio.

 

 

This Siberian iris is my pride and joy and is named, ‘Bread and Butter’.  I have always loved this iris and its catchy name.  

 

 

I even have all white Siberian irises that bloom in the White Garden.  This is a very tall erect variety that really makes a statement.  I wish I knew their names.

 

I enjoy cutting irises and bringing them in for vases which I did in late spring.  Here are a couple vases showing off some of the irises I mentioned…..

 

 

They really don’t need much added to the vase…..just irises alone make an impact.

 

 

And if you cut them so there are several buds they will last longer in the vase.

 

 

With the short stems of ‘Bread and Butter’ I added some contrasting long flower stalks from a Baptisia.

 

 

Both of these flowers grow in the same general area so they caught my eye, and seemed to say they belonged together in a vase.

 

 

And they both lasted longer than I expected in the vase.  I am glad I was finally able to being you a small sampling of my irises and iris vases.  It sure brightened my day to see them now that winter has descended on us far too early.

I am joining Cathy@Rambling in the Garden for her wonderful In A Vase on Monday meme. The pictures shared here were created with my iPod Touch camera and two free apps, Pixlr and Prisma.

I am posting poetry, almost weekly on Sundays, on my other blog, Living From Happiness.  You can read my latest poem here.

All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Gardens Eye View, 2010-2018.  Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.

30 Replies to “For The Love of Irises”

  1. Oh Donna, your irises are gorgeous and your photos of them are pieces of art!
    I don’t have much experience on growing them, but at least I can say my favourite Italian skincare products have an Iris-based chypre perfume. 🙂
    Have a happy new week!

  2. Wonderful array of irises. I love them as well, and could easily have penned your first paragraph. Good luck dividing them as you have time, and enjoying their intrinsic beauty.

  3. Your beautiful irises have me longing for spring’s return. I so enjoy your photo editing skill that makes each of your images sing.

  4. What a fabulous collection. The colours and patterns are beautiful to see. I’ve notices that they last well in vases and new buds open and I just pull off the dead bits. At least you can look back and enjoy these. It’s chilly and grey here and I think we are getting storms next but not snow.

  5. Oh these must have been an absolute delight to see in the flesh, Donna! I am not at all keen on the bearded ones and prefer the Siberian and Japanese ones and yours are lovely, especially that white one

    1. I have some stunning bearded ones with color combos. Hoping I can share them next year. But I agree I prefer the Siberian ones too.

  6. A lovely and varied collection of iris you have, Donna. I, too, love any kind of iris, but am esp. wowed by the fluffy German hybrids. They remind me of antebellum gowns. 🙂

  8. I love them all, Donna. When I lived in Santa Monica (LONG ago), one of my neighbors grew ‘Bread & Butter’ outside her apartment and I’ve coveted it ever since. Unfortunately, I can’t offer it either the water or the soil pH it prefers. My success with bearded Iris has diminished as our drought has worsened but luckily Pacific Coast Iris and even my Dutch Iris are helping to fill the breach.

  10. Oh, I love them, too! Kind of the opposite side of the year from where we are now–which helps us really appreciate them! The yin and yang of the growing season. Your Irises are stunning, Donna!

  13. I appreciate your passion for Irises. You certainly show how beautiful they are. I have just a couple, my hesitation is that the bloom period tends to be quite short.

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