This week another vase from me that was a gift for my lunch hostess yesterday. On this occasion when I asked what I could bring she said she would love flowers from my garden – a real compliment as flowers are rarely a hostess gift here (only I seem to do it).
So the flowers where picked yesterday and as I know she loves flowers I tried to take what is best at this moment in my garden, and that has to be Irises! Continue reading
Tuesday is the day to join Cathy at Words and Herbs with a view of one part of the garden so that we can follow how it changes through the seasons. Continue reading
Like any other gardener, when I am inside the house I am often looking out of the windows at the garden; indeed some of the vistas are designed to be seen and enjoyed from the windows. Continue reading
After the cloud filled skies of yesterday is has been beautifully sunny today but still with a cold wind from the north east. I’ve been planting more into the vegetable beds but nothing tall or a bit weak that might be broken by the wind. Continue reading
I’ve never seen my Bearded Irises as tall; ideal for the cyclone we are promised! I do hope the 50 and 60 km per hour winds that has been mentioned doesn’t materialize. Continue reading
Happy May Day everyone, here in Italy it is a holiday; all holidays are celebrated on the actual day rather than always on Monday as in the UK, this gives the opportunity for a ‘ponte’ (bridge) so that any holiday next to the weekend or even a Tuesday or Thursday give the chance of a few days holiday by only actually taking one day off as official holiday from work. Continue reading
I didn’t grow Irises when I lived in England and when I saw them I found them rather over the top with their, often, strange mix of colours. After moving to Italy and finding that they really thrive in my hot dry garden I have learned to appreciate them more, love them in fact. Continue reading
Here are some more of the Irises flowering at the moment in the garden. I needed to check on the name of some of the ones I bought from Cayeux at Courson last autumn. I incorrectly labelled one yesterday, I’ll go back and correct it and show it again here with the correct name. When I checked on the Cayeux website I found about 15 warm tone yellow tall bearded iris so that although I knew the names of the ones I purchased it was still difficult to be sure that I was even sold the correct ones!
Iris Grand Canari, planted close to Rosa Molineux, almost exactly the same colour
Above is the real Grand Canari. Below is the iris I featured yesterday and is Iris Dear Jean, sorry for the confusion.
Iris Dear Jean just unfurling
Iris Dear Jean
Iris Dear Jean
Iris Chelsea Blue
Iris Chelsea Blue
The above is a real beauty; I can’t wait for this to increase. At the moment it is in a bed near the vegetable garden, when there is a big enough clump I will plant somewhere much more prominent.
Iris Rustic Jewel
Iris Rustic Jewel
Iris Rustic Jewel
Iris Rustic Jewel is in the large Island, it seems that I am putting a lot of my Irises there.
What’s flowering today in your garden? Do you have any special treasures that you want to share?
When I lived in the UK I never grew Bearded Irises, now they have become one of my favourite flowers. Partly because they love the climate here and my very free draining soil in particular, they form clumps of colour very quickly. I also enjoy the strong form of the foliage, perfectly making a strong full stop when planted next to more softly rounded forms.
This Dutch Iris has been flowering for a while
This is a real beauty, it came from a friend when he thought he was giving me a different variety
I’ve decided on a new place for this clump, I want to put them in the Large Island in front of Phlomis
Looks like velvet in close-up
Pride of Kent came from the same friend when I first had this garden
This was an unknown quantity from a plant swap – rather nice. When it has made a clump I’ll move it from the slope
I bought some new varieties when I visited Courson last autumn and am pleased to see that they are producing strong flower spikes in their first year.
Iris Grand Canari, planted close to Rosa Molineux, almost exactly the same colour
Iris ‘Immortality’, a lovely pure white from a local supplier
Iris Jane Philips – not shown well here, it is a very pure pale blue
It’s now raining too hard to take any more photographs, so I’ll post the rest tomorrow.
Today I’m sharing some Irises with you. They began flowering at the end of April, it will be interesting to see which, if any, are still flowering at the end of May.
This one came from a plant sharing day, so I have no idea of its name - any ideas?
Bearded Irises love my very free-draining soil and build up large clumps quite quickly. They don’t need any irrigation so I’m happy to add them to many different borders within the garden.
Another unknown variety
This is my favourite but I've forgotten its name
last year there were only a few stems, now it seems very happy. This is the large island bed. It mixes well with dianthus and silver foliage and the reddish leaves of Rosa rubifolia
I named this one 'bordeux' because of its velvety colour
Classic and tall
For more about other Irises in My Hesperides Garden click here.
Yesterday’s flower of the day was Eschscholzia
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 