Last week we had a Moose run through the woods out back, and a Bear shat in the middle of the road. We have arrived at the promised land!
There are some really nice, vibrant colors being shown! I am jealous, although some things are doing well, I have a some that have declared this is not their year. The allium gave up and didn't bloom this year. They pushed up foliage, and one even started to push up a stalk, but failed to produce and the foliage is yellowing. Last year they did fantastic so I'm thinking they got too dry. My butterfly bushes just started to show some green, now they are on pause. I gave that garden some decent water the other day when I laid down new bark mulch. But I also planned on getting some rain from the cold front that came in Wednesday, and I didn't get but enough to dampen the grass. Since we are dipping again into drought (a couple of weeks ago we climbed to abnormally dry for the first time since last spring), I have to pick and chose what I water and that garden might not make the cut (they should survive, just go dormant if they need to). Also found peony buds in other gardens that just withered away. But, I'm still getting some nice stuff: In the driveway garden the rootbeer iris my mother sent me years ago, has the nicest display. Some of it over a carpet of white creeping phlox (which weirdly, seems to be having a long flowering season) The Mandarin Lights azaleam planted a couple of years ago, usually looks pretty cr*ppy. However, this is the garden bed I have been concentrating on enriching and enlarging, and with new plants I water it when needed. This Black is Black iris is newly planted a couple of weeks ago. It is at the edge of the same bed the azalea is in. It is a very deep purple and from a few feet away does look black. It has a light scent that is very interesting. I cant even describe it, but it has a slight hint of citrus
Iris are so great because they can be passed on from friends and neighbors. Seems like one of the Rose of Sharons you gave me last year is doing well . The other hasn't budded leaves yet, so I'm unsure if it survived. Since they are right next to each other, not sure why the difference. The one that hasn't budded did have some poison ivy that survived over the winter. I had to pull that out of the roots last weekend. The iris that came with it are doing well too. They are in the one garden that I am absolutely keeping watered, so I'll find out if it is just slower or what. I could try scratching some bark and seeing if it's green underneath, but that would be too easy
The plants i got in return didn't survive the winter. User error, I'm afraid. Both those RoS, were handled identically. Hopefully both will leaf out. I have quite a few more sprouting up. Any buds on the jris? If not, next year then.
Sorry those Rose of Campions didn't survive. Those are a short lived perennial or maybe a biennial, so maybe I managed to give you all older plants that were about due to expire anyway. Maybe they put out some viable seeds and you will be surprised later to see them come up (and not necessarily where the parents were). Both RoS were handled identically here too. We'll see - I haven't given up yet. Too early for those iris to bud I think - only my early iris and the ones I got from the garden center already in bud. The rest of my iris are still just foliage. You are right though, sometimes they need to settle for a couple of years before they show what they have.
I can sell poison ivy by the bushel here. Lilly of the valleys are blossoming. Cornflowers are up next. I think evening primrose is after that. Not much else. Just constantly fighting back the brush it seems. Lots of nice pictures everyone.
