For some reason I did not get e-mails from either of you that posted above and my member page is set up to get e-mails so not sure what is going on. Try e-mailing me directly from the e-mail on my member page instead of using the form. Deb

Cindy, you are just mean! I love lupines, and that shot of the lupines and the poppies is to die for! Beautiful. drool all over the monitor. Oh yeah, the subject of the posting. Your iris are gorgeous. hard to pick a favorite since I really like all of them. Your garden is so beautiful, Cindy. I guess if I have to choose one, I will choose Coffee Trader...the colors are unique and your photos are beautiful as usual. Thanks for posting such a feast for the eyes. kay

Thank you both for your replies. I believe the iris is the I. albicans. They have really been suffering down here this year. The drought is probably the reason I only got one bloom (- 7 inches of rain for the year and counting) as they have bloomed better for me in the past. These are the only iris I have been able get to survive at all. Could not even get the foliage to survive on the other bearded types I have tried since the move. Had a backyard of bearded iris up in Fort Worth so have tried several times to get some to grow. Thank goodness for the daylily... Barb

I am here to tell 'ya, that Round-Up is not going to kill all the poison ivy. It's amazing stuff. Lasagna gardening only forces the roots to seek light by going around the edges of the bed. Do start with Round-up. Kill what you can see. After it's dead, garb yourself in a space suit. Bread bags up your arms and over your gloves and hip waders are also a good idea. Latex gloves are not because they breathe. Gently pull the ivy up, being careful to let the vines underground come up and out of the soil. Don't break them if you don't have to, because they make more. Like tentacles. If you're pulling them down make certain it and parts of the ivy don't fall on you. The hair-like roots will get into your clothes and hair and be devestating. Note that I get poison ivy from the dirt the roots have been in, so if you get showered with the dirt, use liquid dish washing soap that has a degreaser in it (Dawn works well) or Lava soap all over your entire body as soon as possible. Remember that the dirt can get down your collar, into the perspiration on your torso, which spreads this evil oil. Repeat this procedure in 2 weeks, where you'll be shocked to find even more ivy. Repeate for at least 2 years. Oh - before you wash with degreasing soap, don't forget to burn your clothes, or at least washing them immediately with degreasing laundry soap. Don't forget your shoes!!! Anything you touch, eye glasses, sun glasses, yard tools, etc., can get the oil on it. A thimbleful will "infect" the entire United States. It was a component in mustard gas during WWI, if that tells you how nasty it is. Just my take on poison ivy, with which I'm an extreme vetern. Christine