Well, that is an ENGLISH garden I think, we are not in England, and spring is will nigh gone, so I guess we can darn well grow what we please and be prepared to face the consequences. I don't necessarily recommend Asian or Longiforum lilies with roses, just wanted some so badly and have them in a spot by themselves toward the back. I liked the daylilies idea, but am weary of yellow Stella, and their bloom time is short but the foliage stays pretty neat and tidy. In one picture I saved of Jon's friend who also had a Mottisfont-inspired garden in ENGLAND, it was charming, brick wall in the bg, lots of pink fairy-like roses that almost twinkled, and the only other plant I recall was eremus which was marvelous. Maybe he didn't read the book? Another thing I liked about that garden was that there were areas of room between the plants, not all crammed together. It had a light, airy, pleasing look and your eyes drifted from one attraction to another and not have the whole thing jump in your face. That guy on the island off the coast of Italy really has a handle on landscape design. Whether you get the formal training or not, it seems like somewhat of a gift to me, how he worked things in with the roses the main attraction. I like iris with roses if I could get some to grow like in the pics people posted. You should have pitched the book across the room, that is funny!

Jeff, the swap itself begins promptly at 2 pm, but I'm hearing many people are arriving earlier, some with food in tow. It is located at the Lake Cunningham Recreational Facility where I have reserved the covered area for the day. This park is on N McElhaney, right near the intersection of N McElhaney and Rte 101 (behind the fire station). Here are the original rules I established to help keep things from being totally chaotic: 1. If you bring one plant, you take home one plant. If you bring two, you take two, etc. 2. Houseplants, annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, shrubs, trees, vines (did I miss anything?) are all welcome. Seeds or cuttings can be swapped for other seeds or cuttings. 3. I prefer to separate the live plants into "swap rounds". Each person will put one plant into the "round", and numbers will be drawn to see who gets first, second, third, etc pick of that round. New numbers will be chosen each round so the same person doesn't always go first. If you brought only 3 plants, you can only be part of three "rounds". This may not be the way you have done it before, but I'm appealing to you to humor me and try it my way. 4. Since I don't want to keep everyone for hours, I'm limiting the live plant "rounds" to 6. We can swap seeds/cuttings in rounds after, if needed. 5. Please schedule your personal trades for a time that does not conflict with the actual swap. I believe the park is open sun-up to sundown. The Plants: * Please make every attempt to label the plant with its latin name, including the variety. Plastic cutlery or popsicle sticks work great for this if you use a Sharpie. * Please bring plants that are free of bugs, disease and/or weeds. * Please remember to water the plants thoroughly the night before, not the day of the swap. This will help prevent muddy messes. Sandi

You love the same colors as I. Beardeds bloom here before the roses - drat! I also like those whose falls drape rather than being held out horizontally. And I prefer beardeds around 35 inches - don't have space for the 40 inchers. There are some reliable good rebloomers and some not so hot. Much depends on weather conditions. Often they don't achieve the large, ruffled, showy bloom if that is important to you. Another thing I've learned -- if an iris hasn't won an HM I now steer clear (unless it's foreign, a Blyth, Anfosso, Bianco, etc.) If it's won an AM and I like it in several pictures (and they match written description) I'm safe. One exception was Kentucky Woman - no soul. And I don't hesitate with the HM winners if I've seen the true color -- buds often spaced badly, poor branching, etc., so can't make it to the AM level. But many charm me more than Dykes' winners. Skating Party is probably my favorite pure white -- lovely. And I don't much care for whites. Leda's Lover is a good ceamy white. And I like Elizabeth Poldark even tho the standards spread wide as the bloom ages - it works with this iris (think Leda was a parent). If you like SA (space agers) Mesmerizer can be stunning. "Blues" -- Abiqua Falls, Color Me Blue, Delta Blues, Navajo Jewel, Oregon Skies, and one of my old favorites Babbling Brook. Mind you, no delphinium blue exists. Lavender -- Mary Francis (love, orchid lav.), Bubbling Over is excellent and plays well with other colors. Pinks -- Chanteuse, Lace Artistry (love, peach influence), Vanity. Would love to see Coming Up Roses. Like Femme Fatale a lot because it's so frothy. A dark horse by my favorite hybridizer (Hager) is Foolish Fancy -- pictures don't do it justice -- rose influenced blue -- afternoon shade helps maintain the color. Peachy Pink -- Alice Goodman, Beverly Sills still pleases. Would love to see Buisson de Roses. Peach -- Status Seeker I go back to again and again. Maybe it's because the orange sherbet with pink influence in the standards is so clear and clean. Nice bloom form. Those are the pastel solids (selfs) I treasure. Non-Selfs worth noting: Bollywood was love at first sight - the right shade of soft yellow over lavender with the right amount of ruffling. Gypsy Woman has excellent color balance of soft yellow over a light fall edged by pronounced violet. Jennifer Rebecca is an oldie rebloomer loved by many, pink-lav blend (have never seen in person). Sweet Musette is drool worthy - peach over lav. pink blend.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! It's fun to read through what everyone is growing. I have had mixed success with the suggestions received, and of course, this year the weather has wrecked havoc with the bloom cycle. I have found over the last few years that those irises that were recommended or found in Zone 8 or higher have done well, but that those from colder regions are very stingy with the bloom and increase in my climate. In some cases, irises that could be completely abused and still thrive in northern regions just could not take our heat and died out completely. I wish I could find bearded irises in cemeteries around here, but I have been unsuccessful in finding them! I can frequently find Louisiana irises planted behind headstones, as they bloom taller and thus do not obscure the names. But beardeds are so prone to rot here, and folks don't usually try to grow them. I have actually had people stop and ask what kind of plant I have when they are in bloom... it's a rare sight here.