~ Thought Lost, But Not, Iris ~

~ I was SO happy to see this iris bloom this year! ~

One rhizome was gifted to me by an old friend over 30 years ago. Years later I thought I had lost this iris, but during weeding 3 summers ago I found a tiny solitary 1/2" rhizome hiding beneath the foliage of a Butter and Sugar Siberian iris. After careful lifting and special tending in the greenhouse, watching, praying, but not quite sure who I had in the pot, this spring I saw a wonderful stem of 5 blooms appear!

As the flowers slowly unfolded I could tell the color pattern was one I hadn't seen for nearly 17 years! Indeed...this was the iris I hoped I had not lost! For you see, this friend had gifted me an iris she had collected from her mother's garden, an iris variety she had been treasuring, but alas had lost when an ancient pine blew down and crushed all she had.

I now hope that this beautiful sweetly smelling iris will grow strong healthy rhizomes I can separate, and return to an old friend a flower that once was her mother's. :0)

~ Wishing you a beautiful whimsical day! ~

:0)

Iris of Whimsy...Part 2

FINALLY...

Spring has finally decided to arrive here at the Whimsy Gardens!!!

The temperature today just may reach into the lower 60's,

and water is pouring off of the roofs from the melting snow.

Soon, I hope, I will be able to see the earth

and the emerging leaves of my gardens!

Traveling a bit back in time to March of 2012, it was then I created a post showing some

of the Iris of Whimsy Gardens.

Today I thought I would show a few more images I have taken in my gardens of one of my

favorite garden flowers...

the iris.

~ Cracklin Burgundy ~
Tall bearded
 Year registered 1981

This is one of the first iris I introduced into my gardens in the mid 80's (after my grandmother's heirloom blue), and is a gorgeous deep red!

~ Unknown Heirloom ~
Tall bearded

The Wabash iris I showed in March 2012 was found growing in the middle of
a clump of this iris's rhizomes, which was given to me by a friend
who had found them growing wild on an abandoned site.

~ Unknown Heirloom ~
Standard dwarf bearded

This very hardy iris which grows no larger than 11 inches tall was found growing
in an old farmstead garden.

~ Unknown ~
Miniature dwarf bearded

Who knows what one will find at a yard sale!
A few years back this little iris was one of those finds.
It is short on height but still produces good sized blossoms.

 ~ Appleblossom Pink ~
Intermediate bearded
1973

This is one of 5 new iris I added to the Whimsy Gardens last year.
The blooms are gorgeous and smell a little like grape pop!


I can't wait for the snow to go, the earth to thaw, and my gardens to come alive again!

~ A wonderful whimsy day to you! ~

Iris of Whimsy

At last!!!

The post of Iris in the Whimsy gardens I had promised oh so long ago!

To look below at the amount of images I placed in this post you probably can tell I really love Iris! All images are of the actual flowers growing in the Whimsy gardens. Many will be potted up to share with other gardeners at market this spring.

~ Siberian Iris ~

* Ego *

~ Siberian Iris ~

* Chilled Wine *

~ Siberian Iris ~

* Ruffled Velvet *

~ Siberian Iris ~ 

* Butter & Sugar *

~ Standard Siberian Iris ~

~ Siberian Iris ~ 

* Snow Queen *

~ Siberian Iris ~

* Mares Tails *

Mares Tails is a Siberian Iris cross pollination of Snow Queen and the standard blue Siberian Iris. The plant appeared on its own from dropped seed one summer, and surprised me with the beautiful snow white flowers lightly touched with the palest of blue.

~ German Bearded Iris ~

* variety unkown *

~ Bearded Iris ~

* Heirloom variety unkown *

The above Iris was the beginning of my Iris collection and was planted in my grandmother's garden during the 1950's.

~ Bearded Iris ~

* Heirloom Wabash 1940 *

This beautiful blue and white iris was one of two heirloom varieties that were "rescued" by a gardening friend from an old abandoned lot some years ago.

~ Bearded Iris ~

* Heirloom Flavescens 1813 *

~ Bearded Iris ~

* Lady Friend *

These are approximately half of the Iris varieties now growing in the Whimsy gardens. And as I just can't resist the beauty of these plants, I'm sure more will appear in the gardens this year!

~ Wishing you a wonderful whimsy day! ~

~~*~~