After accepting my own determined rule that I would not buy any new roses this year (see below), I rewarded myself for this stellar bit of self-discipline by ordering 15 new irises. Furthermore, I am actually going to plant them on time this year.
Last year I ordered around the same number, and set them out on newspapers on the butcher block because they arrived during a rainy spell. I got surprisingly used to seeing them there (well, actually that's no surprise, considering my housekeeping habits or lack thereof), and as a result the sun came out but the irises didn't. They got planted eventually, but in some cases too late to establish good root systems before the cold set in. I will do better this year. I will.
As usual, I chose most of them on the basis of appearance, with many of those picked because they are fragrant as well as beautiful. And then there were, as always, some that I included because their names triggered meaninigful memories.
Dear Dorothy, light purple and yellow, ruffled . . . that's easy. Dorothy was my mother's name.
Orinoco Flow, white stitched with purple . . . an Enya song, yes? Jill gave me that CD.
Carriwitched, fabulous dark purple . . . this is a bit of a stretch. Jill had a close friend name Ceri once, pronounced Carri.
Ascent of Angels, two lovely shades of blue . . . I have a dog named Angel. She's 15.
High Point . . . a mistake actually. I was thinking of a place in the Catskills where my dad spent a lot of time when he was young. But I realized later that he used to talk about High Mount. Oh, well, High Point is a very pretty bi-color, with pink-tinted white standards and plum purple/violet falls.
Rinky Dink, gorgeous, described as "greyed orchid and vanilla". . . don't ask me why, but this name reminds me of Mama. Something she used to say, no doubt. It makes me smile and remember the fun we used to have.
Dream of You, pastel blue, white on top edged in pale yellow . . . yes, I do. Please keep those dreams coming forever.
Last year I ordered around the same number, and set them out on newspapers on the butcher block because they arrived during a rainy spell. I got surprisingly used to seeing them there (well, actually that's no surprise, considering my housekeeping habits or lack thereof), and as a result the sun came out but the irises didn't. They got planted eventually, but in some cases too late to establish good root systems before the cold set in. I will do better this year. I will.
As usual, I chose most of them on the basis of appearance, with many of those picked because they are fragrant as well as beautiful. And then there were, as always, some that I included because their names triggered meaninigful memories.
Dear Dorothy, light purple and yellow, ruffled . . . that's easy. Dorothy was my mother's name.
Orinoco Flow, white stitched with purple . . . an Enya song, yes? Jill gave me that CD.
Carriwitched, fabulous dark purple . . . this is a bit of a stretch. Jill had a close friend name Ceri once, pronounced Carri.
Ascent of Angels, two lovely shades of blue . . . I have a dog named Angel. She's 15.
High Point . . . a mistake actually. I was thinking of a place in the Catskills where my dad spent a lot of time when he was young. But I realized later that he used to talk about High Mount. Oh, well, High Point is a very pretty bi-color, with pink-tinted white standards and plum purple/violet falls.
Rinky Dink, gorgeous, described as "greyed orchid and vanilla". . . don't ask me why, but this name reminds me of Mama. Something she used to say, no doubt. It makes me smile and remember the fun we used to have.
Dream of You, pastel blue, white on top edged in pale yellow . . . yes, I do. Please keep those dreams coming forever.
9 comments:
I love irises. But I'm not a gardener...
I love irises too. But poppies are my addiction (the flower!).
What kind of poppies, Helen? I have the big annual ones, pink or salmon with black centers. Not sure what they're called. They reseed every year. I keep thinking I should plant some perennial oriental poppies, but so far that thought hasn't progressed to the doing stage.
Susan, what's the dark purple iris in the photo? It's beautiful! (I hope I didn't overlook its name somewhere in the post.)
I love irises too but I'm always having to fight against iris borer. If it's not one thing, it's another.
Ruth, it's called Perfect Pitch. Another chosen in honor of my daughter Gillian. It really is beautiful!
Nice photo! Orinoco Flow - I have that CD too :)
I don't have any irises - maybe I'll look for some. I have a gerber daisy and a columbine blooming so far, plus the roses.
Sounds lovely, Crystal. Time for some pictures on your blog? I had to stop growing columbine when leaf miners moved in on them a few years ago. Beautiful flowers.
I'll post some pics tomorrow :)
I love irises also, but have no green thumb at growing them. I have all green stems, (leaves) but no flowers. I love the bearded irises best but also like the dutch irises.
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