Your iris look beautiful blooming among everything. I have a clump of Dutch iris, Eye of the Tiger, that didn't bloom last year, & haven't yet this year. I'm thinking they need to be divided, they seem to have multiplied a lot since I planted them. I may copy you & scatter mine around. Love those red azaleas. White cat is lovely, I like her coloring, rather unusual.

Kay, the whole effect is very VERY pretty! So glad you got such a good deal on those azaleas.
I really like White Cat..her little "mittens" are very endearing. *gives kitty squishy hugs*

Love the iris very pretty. And so are the azaleas. LOVE the kitty!!!!

Kim

Thank you so much for looking at the pics. White Cat is a very loving cat now. She loves for me to work in the garden and stays around pretty much the whloe time I'm there. DH and I are suckers for animals that need food or care, so they find us, of course.

ngraham, I think I am going to buy some of those Eye of the Tiger this fall...I love the bloom on Dutch iris, they are so reasonable, and they bloom before a lot of things in spring. I have one other variety that hasn't bloomed yet, it's a pink or light lavender called Rosalie, I think.

crackingtheconcrete, When I pick White Cat up, it scares her to death...but she never tires of being petter.

kimkats, Thank you. DH and I are going to that nursery again this week. If they still have azaleas some of them will go home with me, but they have camellias too, so I know I will manage to find something.
kay

Wow, so many interesting pictures and lots going on in your garden. First off, I want to say that the kitty is so pretty and I love the fact that you have a garden friend. Love the little white feet!

Digging in a batch of tree roots is no fun but those Azealeas are going to look so nice en mass for years and years and years. I like the edge of a woods effect the grouping of shrubs makes there in your garden.

Fed the roses, wow. It is too early for that here as its best to feed after the roses leaf out. I did put Alfalfa already in all the rose beds and also some powdered Humic acid which is a very fine powder. Then let the rain soak it in.

You know I love the Dutch Iris. Love the purple ones and especially love the lighter two color one.

I put in mixed Dutch Iris between the new TB iris in the back bed but then in front of it were I have groupings, they are all stands of one type only with 5 groupings in a row. Should look great blooming. Alot of my Dutch Iris crazies came from seeing your lovely pictures last year. This year too!

Hi Rita,
White Cat is a sweet cat. I enjoy her being around. I do love azaleas, so don't mind having to work to get them planted. (DH says he will help plant, and he would if I were willing to wait for him, which I'm not.

I am going to slightly change that curved path since the Japanese maple goes a little too far into it. I will have to move only one daylily, which is not bad alt all.

This is the second time I have put alfalfa meal and Rosetone on the roses. But they are all covered with buds, and some are blooming, so I think it is time. And it is supposed to rain tonight.

Every time I see Dutch Iris, I think they are an unappreciated little bulb. They come back for several years here too. I'm glad I get to inspire you a little since you have surely inspired me enough over the years.

Bloom is so early this year. I have buds on the peonies, all the roses are budded out, the tall bearded iris are putting up blooms. Wow! I love it!
kay

You are having a great spring in your garden, and it is really lovely. White cat is very lovely also, it's great to have a garden 'helper'. Your azaleas are having me start to think about were I can put some. I have only one very large one, and I planted a white one a few years ago. hmmmmm, I think I need more, under trees is a good idea. I'm gonna have a look around.
cindy

wow.kay. you really have a lot going for you this spring.It all looks very pretty, too.I use to have a few dozen of them Dutch Iris, but I didnt care for them,and kept cutting them down with a weed eater,until nowI only see one or two thats up.The rest of them died I guess.I had the mixed colors,and the purple was the only one I kind of liked.Your Azalea's are so pretty.

Jean

Thanks, Cindy. I have enjoyed this spring so much with all of the blooming.
You should consider planting some azaleas under shade. My azaleas that do the best are in the deeper shade. Of course, they get sun during the winter when the tree has no leaves.

Jean, I love the Dutch Iris, but we all have our things that we like and don't like.
kay

Wow, great color going on there, love the irises. What is the shrub in the last pic with the green balls?

We have ferals that were raised in the house and then decided to become outside cats, they love being petted, but don't want to come back in. White Cat is a real beauty. sharon

Hi Sharon,

Thank you for kind comments. White Cat has a sister who comes in and sleeps inside each night, eats then asks to go out and spends most of the time outside during the day.

That shrub is another type of viburnum. The green balls will soon be white, but tiny in comparison to the Giant snowballs. It is a pretty background shrub however, but needs a bit od pruning which it will get after the blooms.
kay

Kay- Don't you have an older stand of the Dutch iris all grouped en mass? In a dark blue or purple blue color? I seem to remember a picture like that last year. I think they were planted near the Tall Bearded Iris.

Beautiful garden pics Kay. Enjoy!

Julia

Yes, Rita.
That is them in the picture with the cat, they are just opening. They look pretty good, but there is an open space I will have to fill this fall...About two plants are missing...I may just add another entire row there. Today they appeared much fuller than in that picture, but I took no pictures. We went back to the nursery and got a few more plants, and that stupid knee is dealing me fits.

Last night, I ordered a few more roses (four Austins, Belinda, and Purple Splash...I couldn't resist that one.), as I am going to have to plant a good bit after all, but not a lot of area to break...just an extension of the rose garden to the end of the shed.

My daylily foliage is the healthiest it has ever looked right now. Other than a few instances of leaf stripe (and it is a few) they daylilies are lush and green.

I have been much more attentive to feeding all of the plants,probably because I got an early start with the weather. Speaking of which, we are supposed to have frost tonight. Rats! I hope not.
kay

Kay, your garden is looking great. I love the look of Dutch Iris, but somehow they haven't done well for me here. After seeing yours maybe I'll try again. White Cat is such a beautiful color--nicer than any garden ornament!
Val

Val,
Thank you so much. Dutch Iris are so beautiful when they do well, and they seem to like my climate. I have had one bed of them for three years, but I think I managed to kill a couple of the purple ones in that bed when I was working in the TB iris bed it borders.

I hope you do have better luck with them the next time around.
kay

You better watch out, adding roses is very addictive but the results are so beautiful when they are in bloom LOL! We will both have to post roses blooming this summer.

I really don't have hardly any Austins. I used to have more than I do now but moved them outta here and replaced them with other roses as they just wanted to grow too big for me. Big and sprawly doesn't work in my garden.

I just seem to remember the Dutch Iris being closer together with more of them last year. Maybe it was just the angle of the picture that was taken. My Dutch Iris are planted much closer together than yours are. But then you know I smush things together around here. Mihne are growing nicely out in the backyard but no bloom scapes coming up yet. Must be too early here for then to even bud up yet.

You are right. They were closer, which means I have to add some this fall... good memory.

My Abraham Darby has several, in fact, I have at least 20 different bushes with buds, not counting the Knock-outs.

Here is a couple of the hybrid Tea's buds opening:

Lady Like:

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And Tequila Sunrise:

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My garden is going from early to late spring blooms, but I am enjoying it anyway.
kay

Very pretty roses. I especially like the second one. You know I love those hot colors. You can probably just add some Dutch Iris bulbs between the ones you have now for the fuller look.

Rita, I often take flowers rto work, and when I take that rose, it get as much if more compliments than any other rose I have. Yes, I intend to do that and perhaps add a few scattered ones in the row. I like it with a lot more bloom.
kay

Those red azaleas are going to look great in front of those viburnums and spirea (?). Love the dutch Iris and, of course, love the kitty. If you go back to the Azalea place, get you a Gerard L Tabor (Pink). Give it plenty of room when you plant it. It is a lovely one. I also Love Pink Ruffle... Sarah

Kay it all looks great. My dutch iris are just now starting to show color. I got bit by the iris bug last fall while ordering my tulips and daffs. Your new azaleas look great with your other plantings. The deer hit my roses again and I am so upset. I try to live with them but am beginning to change my mind. If I had a gun I believe I would have used it. I wish someone would come and tranquilize them and carry them off somewhere where they couldn't get anyones plants. I love listening about your cats. Ready to get me some at the rescue group if I can talk hubby and Callie & Chloe (my 2 beagles) into it. See ya, Judy

Beautiful roses. DH would especially be crazy about that 2nd one, he always picks out that general color rose at the nursery.

Kay, I just googled Purple Splash, wow, now I am going to have to get that. sharon