Thanks so much, Beth! I took the photos a few hours after the eclipse (which was only partial here), but perhaps some of its magic still got into the photos? I'd like to think so anyway. ;-)
Beautiful! Not only the iris, but the lavender too! I love the light in your photos this week - warm and sunny weather as well as a warm and sunny vase. 😃
The sunlight is growing noticeably more intense here, Cathy! It begins to feel properly desert-like again. Oddly enough, I miss that intensity during the winter months, though it's nice to have respite from the heat. So glad you enjoyed the vase! Lavandula dentata is a good doer here, and slips into a vase so easily... ;-)
That's one beautiful bearded Iris, Amy, and it makes a great focal point in your arrangement. I've haphazard luck with bearded Irises - those that seem to bloom the most reliably are the ones I completely ignore at the bottom of my back slope ;)
Thank you, Kris! I admit the bearded irises have been puzzling me from one year to the next. Indian Chief has been super-reliable, always the first to flower and plenty of bloom each year. I'm finding that though they certainly need plenty of mulch here, they really don't like their rhizomes buried in it, and of course they don't want too much nitrogen . So actually mine also do better when I can just give them a good position and stop fussing so much. ;-)
I'm experimenting with lavenders now because I find some last a lot better than others. I've got sharp drainage and of course loads of sun and heat, but they really vary. Lavandula dentata has become my go-to as the plants grow on nicely without getting too woody too fast. And it can bloom in all but the hottest and coldest parts of the year. L. stoechas only lasts one or two years well, and the English lavenders don't make it through half a summer...
Oh I can just imagine why you were so excited about the irises if it was the first time they had bloomed for you - and I am sure they enjoyed the conversation! Curiously, although the bloom you picked does not hugely stand out in the vase, it subtly pulls in all the other blooms and foliage and is very much an integral part of the it. Setting the vase off against the pebbles and rocks is really effective too - thanks for sharing it, and the excitement of your garden and its increasing number of blooms
Thanks so much, Cathy! Just this morning I found two enormous bright blue blooms on iris Conquistador! New to me, though it's been around for over a hundred years--ha! So much beauty in them...
The light of your photos is magical, and the elements and your arrangement are dreamy. Iris time...now that is exciting!
Thanks so much, Beth! I took the photos a few hours after the eclipse (which was only partial here), but perhaps some of its magic still got into the photos? I'd like to think so anyway. ;-)
And I agree whole-heartedly about iris season! :)
Beautiful! Not only the iris, but the lavender too! I love the light in your photos this week - warm and sunny weather as well as a warm and sunny vase. 😃
The sunlight is growing noticeably more intense here, Cathy! It begins to feel properly desert-like again. Oddly enough, I miss that intensity during the winter months, though it's nice to have respite from the heat. So glad you enjoyed the vase! Lavandula dentata is a good doer here, and slips into a vase so easily... ;-)
That's one beautiful bearded Iris, Amy, and it makes a great focal point in your arrangement. I've haphazard luck with bearded Irises - those that seem to bloom the most reliably are the ones I completely ignore at the bottom of my back slope ;)
Thank you, Kris! I admit the bearded irises have been puzzling me from one year to the next. Indian Chief has been super-reliable, always the first to flower and plenty of bloom each year. I'm finding that though they certainly need plenty of mulch here, they really don't like their rhizomes buried in it, and of course they don't want too much nitrogen . So actually mine also do better when I can just give them a good position and stop fussing so much. ;-)
Love the colors. Iris excites me too! Does lavendar last the summer there?
Irises are such a powerhouse of color! :)
I'm experimenting with lavenders now because I find some last a lot better than others. I've got sharp drainage and of course loads of sun and heat, but they really vary. Lavandula dentata has become my go-to as the plants grow on nicely without getting too woody too fast. And it can bloom in all but the hottest and coldest parts of the year. L. stoechas only lasts one or two years well, and the English lavenders don't make it through half a summer...
Oh I can just imagine why you were so excited about the irises if it was the first time they had bloomed for you - and I am sure they enjoyed the conversation! Curiously, although the bloom you picked does not hugely stand out in the vase, it subtly pulls in all the other blooms and foliage and is very much an integral part of the it. Setting the vase off against the pebbles and rocks is really effective too - thanks for sharing it, and the excitement of your garden and its increasing number of blooms
Thanks so much, Cathy! Just this morning I found two enormous bright blue blooms on iris Conquistador! New to me, though it's been around for over a hundred years--ha! So much beauty in them...