In the meantime, the girls are battling a stomach virus and I'm keeping myself sane by tending to the garden before summer gets here and everything burns to a crisp. In my weeding rounds this morning I discovered a little something I had planted during the summer before Katrina struggling in the boggy back corner of our yard:
Iris x louisiana 'Black Gamecock'I had gotten this iris from a clearance shelf at the garden center - thus the off-season planting of that summer before Katrina. We had thought it would be worth giving it a second chance at life in the low corner of our yard that never dries out. I had all but completely forgotten about it until this morning.
Three years ago that section of the yard was ideal for partial sun plants -- but since then the growing trees have transformed it into full shade. Despite this - the iris multiplied nicely. What started as one plant has become a good two-foot-square clump. They even managed to produce the two blossoms pictured above. (By the way - I never pick my own flowers... But I broke the rule this time since the poor things were blooming in a spot that only I - standing ankle deep in mud and being eaten by various swamp insects - could see.) However, the plants are struggling at about 24" tall -- no where near the glorious 36+" they can achieve.
And that brings me to the only project planned for today: Divide and relocate the irises.
Hopefully this little project will help me continue to resist the urge to run to the garden centers and buy everything that isn't rooted into the ground this year. Uh - at least until they have one of those half-dead plant clearance sales again....
Three years ago that section of the yard was ideal for partial sun plants -- but since then the growing trees have transformed it into full shade. Despite this - the iris multiplied nicely. What started as one plant has become a good two-foot-square clump. They even managed to produce the two blossoms pictured above. (By the way - I never pick my own flowers... But I broke the rule this time since the poor things were blooming in a spot that only I - standing ankle deep in mud and being eaten by various swamp insects - could see.) However, the plants are struggling at about 24" tall -- no where near the glorious 36+" they can achieve.
And that brings me to the only project planned for today: Divide and relocate the irises.
Hopefully this little project will help me continue to resist the urge to run to the garden centers and buy everything that isn't rooted into the ground this year. Uh - at least until they have one of those half-dead plant clearance sales again....
7 comments:
Think how great your roof will look, though. I didn't expect much from my roof, it was a gotta do it project, but every time I look at my house, I think how nice the new roof looks. I am pretty sure we have the same shingles.
I didn't get around to planting some bulbs for fall planting last year. Instead they lived in my refrigerator vegetable bins all winter :-) I planted the ones with some evidence of life a few weeks ago. Nothing has come up :-)
About half the bulbs I planted the year before didn't come up this year. This must not be a good place for species tulips or hyacinths. The Darwin tulips are doing great, however. They kind of look like the thugs of the garden.
I'm thoroughly excited about the roof.. It'll be worth the wait I hope.
And I love tulips. I can't grow tulips. I tried before and got some green stalks.. but never any flowers.. ever. I googled Darwin tulips.. they're gorgeous with those huge blooms. *sigh*
I'm the typical lazy gardener when it comes to bulbs.. I don't winterize anything (probably the problem with the tulips huh?) and leave them out there to fend for themselves. But I know for certain that if I ever actually put bulbs in my refrigerator they would be doomed to an eternal winter -- I'd never remember to replant them in time. :)
I don't think tulips do well in warm climates. Maybe they're okay the first year, but that's about it.
That Iris is absolutely beautiful! I have mostly tulips, daffodils and bearded irises.
Your roof is going to look great!
Louisiana irises can grow even taller than 36 inches, but not Black Gamecock. It grows to about two feet, like yours.
Thanks, pfo.. After a short websearch on the subject I can only find a few references to Black Gamecock growing taller than 24" - with the vast majority of standards describing the cultivar as a 'shorter louisiana iris'. I've definitely seen much taller locally -- but could very well be looking at a hybrid in those cases.
I have several other louisiana iris varieties in the yard - and they're monsters...
Thanks for the info -- I'll replant these beauties to the front of some of my beds. :)
LOL @ ME One of the first sites I found this morning looking for info on the Black Gamecock was Zydeco Louisiana Iris Garden!! :D Uh.. If anyone would know how big a variety grows - you would, pfo. :)
Thanks for visiting and giving me a clue.
Readers: Check out this site for more
www.zydecoirises.com
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