OMG, Kay!!!

You ain't a kidding! Your "BEAUTIES" are superb! Gorgeous Irises and garden areas too. I like what I can see of your house too. I suppose you have a screened in porch? I love those. What I miss about living in the South.
You have so many fancy ruffled irises and so many colors. I see your giant Allium is blooming too. Mine are fixing to open.
I love the birdhouse and arch at the back with the red azalea behind. Really a very lovely garden and setting!
I am envious of your nice greenhouse. Maybe one of these days...
:)

~Annie

Kay, that first iris is the most beautiful iris I have ever seen. Absolutely stunning!
Tammy

Kay, your garden is just getting more and more beautiful. You know I love the iris. Especially the shots in which you can see the groups and bed shots. Just so lovely.

Gorgeous, gorgeous!! And you are so organized with supports. Thanks for sharing.

Nancy.

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! That's all I can say... love the individual pics AND the overall shot.. *sighs* Can't wait till I can look out my window and see all my beauties growing.. thanks for some more inspiration!

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Cheryl.

Lovely!

Absolutely Gorgeous!!!
TFS
Kathi

Thank you so much. That garden is my therapy. It really is! The iris are so gorgeous when they bloom. I had no intention of buying more thn 2 or 3 this year, but once the frilly fancies start opening, I have to add a little more. Hey, there is still plenty more to steal from the lousy lawn. This is high praise, because I've seen some of your gardens and they are lovely!

Annie, thank you. I don't have a screened porch. I do have an enormous deck that has a section crying to be screened...that could happen. This is the first year I've had alliums, and I will probably add a few more. There are 3 birdbaths and 4 houses out there...and I am sure to add another one or tow. I love them. And I still don't have any chickens.

Speaking of lovely gardens, Thanks Rita. Yours gets more beautiful each year. I can't wait to see your iris in bloom. no one else has inspired me to spend so much money as you have with all your gorgeous pictures.

Nancy, the only reason the supports are organized is moss green spray paint. I'm sure Lowe's thinks it is a very popular color since I use so much of it, but I think it dooes unite the garden. The birdhouse supports? They are fence posts for chain link fence. The tall supports you see around the perimeter of my garden bed? Rebar driven into the ground to keep hoses out of flowers. All of my trellises, pot supports, even my new butterfly shaped chair (more on that tomorrow) are all sprayed with the same moss green paint. It works pretty well and is protective too.

Cheryl, when your flowers are glorious, mine will be well past their peak. I will depend on you to share then.

Thank you all for looking and commenting.

I am enjoying this forum so much because you are so nice and so much fun. I appreciate the warm welcome you've given me.

kay

Kay, you belong here with the rest of us cottage gardeners. Your garden expansions just fill right up with beautiful flowers. As to spending money, I can't think of a better thing to spend it on than the garden. It always turns out so beautiful;y.

Those Beared Iris just get me. I just go nuts over the pictures, especially the group shots. No wonder you want more. I can't want for my TB iris to bloom, many have stalks already. I will order more this year also.

Rita,
I do really like this forum, and I do plant a variety of plants,

Did you notice the Monmartre iris blooming? I have got to have a few more of those really frilly ones! Got to have them.

I have no problem spending on my garden since that is why I am still working, as you know.

I think the bearded iris are every bit as addictive as the day lilys. And even though you weren't, I was hard hit with CAD (also known as clematis acquisition disease). Love them too. Apparently the name of my clematis NOID is actually HF Young. good to know.

I think the bed shots give more of the bed and the reason for gardening than single shots although I like them too.

kay

I really love the frilly ones. Years ago I used to have bearded iris that were here forever. I giess they were ok, but I never thought much of them. I have since learned that they would be called hisiric iris, never did much for me. I like the modern large flowered and frilly ones, just wow.

Clematis are ok, I have quite afew but will never get the clematis crazies. They just don't effect me that way.

You sure do have a lot of color in your garden. Those iris are
beautiful. The peach ones are really putting on a show for you.
That is good therapy. I feel the same way about my garden.

Linda

Wonderful Kay! I so enjoy seeing what plants other gardeners like to collect.
I may be in love with that peach iris. Something about that color always attracts me...do you happen to know the name of it?

So glad to have you appart of the forum- thanks for the pics!
CMK

Rita,
I like the large frilly ones too. Historics are fine, but not what "revs my engine". That being said, a neighbor has a beautiful display of historic. She has a wide row about 25 feet long that blooms all one or two colors at the time. First it was all dark purple, now it is all two kinds, one row is white over dark purple and the other is solid yellow.

Linda, gardening is so many kinds of therapy for me; both physical and emotional therapy. Hey, it's even vocational therapy since I keep working so I can buy plants.

kay

Hmm.. you're in zone 7 and I'm in 6b so how come your irises are blooming already and mine aren't even putting up buds yet? Do ya think it's cuz they got transplanted last June? Was hoping I'd see blooms on them this year... here's a pic of mine taken about a week ago.

{{gwi:656566}}

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Cheryl.

Cheryl- I am also in zone 6b/7a and many of mine are showing bloom stalks. Can you feel any bumps in the middle of the plants there were all the leaves come together? I could feel the stalks coming even on some that I can't see quit yet.

Rita - I'll have to check on that tomorrow. I am wondering if they're behind due to the poor soil though... that "bed" that they're in is not a prepared bed... just the spot they ended up when the neighbor dug them out of her garden as I didn't have anywhere to put them last year.

Sorry about hijacking... guess I should of started a different thread.

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Cheryl.

I hit mine with fertilizer too this spring when I did my daylilies and roses.

Just fantastic. What an amazing array of colors!
I love all the irises. Itty bitty dwarf iris, super tall and lushly frilly, heirlooms, odd types. I just love them. Yours are top knotch!

Gorgeous Kay, absolutely gorgeous. Your garden is just perfect. Your Irises are spectacular.

Carrie B.

Carrie, No garden is ever done...I ave tons left to do, but love it and thank you for the gracious compliments.

Cheryl, the ones that are blooming are mostly form the first patch i planted two year ago. Most of the newere ones aren't blooming yet, and may not bloom this year.

Cristie, the peach one is a NOID. I'll be dividig some of that this fall. Got postage?

Linda, gardening replaces xanax or paxil or any of those other mood altering substances. Being in the garden alters mine plenty!

Thanks to all of you.

kay

What beautiful pictures, Kay, and what beautiful gardens. This was my therapy and inspiration for this morning in cold Southern Michigan (going down to 28 tonight). Thank you, thank you!
Pat

Thanks so much for the offer Kay! I just may take you up on that this fall... Thank you!
CMK

Just let me know.

kay

Cheryl, I'm no iris expert, but it looks like those irises might be planted too deep from what I can see in the picture. The rhizome should be visible on the soil surface or else they will not bloom.

ok, I think I see rhizomes .. so never mind. :)

LOL denidill! Yes, the rhizomes are planted just below the surface as is necessary. I like to read up on plants that I have so I know how to care for them. That is important information though.

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Cheryl.

yes, I always remembered that important tip for irises, ever since my sister was wondering why her irises never bloomed. Upon some research we discovered why! Some plants are very picky! lol.