I would not have picked this iris. It was part of a Cooley collection.
It is not fussy or needy. Nor is it a bully.
It does its job of growing and blooming without any help from me.
I appreciate that very much.
The colors change in different light.
Bright sun seems to produce a glare in photos.
It is lovely in any light to the eye.
I love these colors together. Taco Supreme is a dream.
FLOW
I am home for the weekend. Mama is not improving much. Blah, blah, blah. Lovely day here.
FLOWER
I arrived home on Friday evening just as it started to rain. A quick scan of the gardens showed that my one and only ‘Little Much’ bearded iris was blooming.
I rushed to capture its portrait before the rain drops weighed down the blossoms.
Some iris hybrids are very prolific while others must be kept separate and babied. Little Much is an example of the latter.
I love its delicate ruffles and contrasting colors.
It is a favorite of mine. ‘Little Much’ is a treasure.
I love ‘Little Much’ a whole lot.
FLOWER
I try really hard to keep good records of which plants are where in the garden.
Sometimes the flowers move on me and I have to figure out who moved where.
So we are piecing together the history of a mystery iris.
I thought I got it from my dad.
I thought it had one name, he gave me another from his records.
Neither name matches this beauty.
Its features match an iris I got from Cooley’s Gardens decades ago. I thought it had disappeared.
After much discussion and comparison to photos on the American Iris Society website.
I am declaring this beauty ‘Jelly Roll.’
Welcome back Jelly Roll!
Flower
Taco Supreme is an iris of mystery.
The light plays tricks with the blooms all do long.
Its beige turns to peach
and its burgundy turns to red…or is it purple?
What a color-shifter it is!
Is this a trick or a talent?
Taco Supreme is a surprise.
Flower
I was very excited to find ‘Little Much’ amongst the ‘Persian Berry’ patch this afternoon.
I try to separate out the slow-growers.
I thought I had lost this lovely lilac and white bearded iris.
What a nice discovery on an otherwise strange day.
I hope it is a sign not to lose hope.
I am struggling with my other blog and book.
I want to drop it all until the fall.
I am the FLOWER after all!
Flow movin’ slow.
This iris bloomed for the first time on Easter morning.
It will continue to bloom periodically all summer and into the fall.
It is only about two feet high, so should be planted in the middle of a bed
instead of the usual back row of hybrid bearded iris.
It is easy to grow, elegant and deer resistant.
Bearded iris, Iris germanica ‘Immortality’.
Flower
If Iris were dresses, I’d have quite a wardrobe.
There would never be worries about what to wear.
I’d wear Persian Berry to the ballet
and dream that I too am leaping and twirling.
Easter Sunday would call for the bright, sunny yellow of Banana Frappe’.
For a run south of the border, I’d don Thunder Echo
and dance the Tango and Rumba in practical shoes with ruby buckles.
A skyscraper evening with sparkling drinks would require Immortality with diamonds.
For a night on the town, I would slip on Little Much, full of ruffles and sparkles.
For a trip to the seashore the attire would be Shipshape,
with matching blue flip flops and a straw bag and hat.
An evening at the symphony deserves an attire of Night Affair with amethyst earrings.
But since iris are just flowers and I just the gardener,
I’ll slip on my apron with tools in its pocket and dream in my garden,
My garden of dreams.
FLOWER
April is the month of the bearded iris here in North Carolina.
I have one old type from my daddy’s mother’s garden.
I moved many iris onto this bank last summer. They have never been happier.
The rest of my iris are hybrids.
They came from Cooley’s in Oregon over twenty years ago.
This is just the first wave of iris. There will be more in the coming weeks.
The next parade will be the peonies. Here is the first bloom.
Ahhhhh spring at last!
FLOWER
floweralley 