Showing posts with label garden photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden photos. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Rennovating a Summer/Fall Iris Garden!

by Bob Pries

Yes, I did say Summer/Fall! While working on the Iris Encyclopedia I see a great deficit and relatively undeveloped area in the Gardens Web. I have been trying to find great images showing beautiful garden scenes and vignettes featuring irises. Perhaps the most difficult images to find are those of Summer or Fall iris gardens. But even Spring lacks numbers of images. If anyone still doesn’t know two groups of irises bloom in Summer or Fall: Iris dichotoma hybrids (Iris x norrissii) and reblooming bearded irises. I would love to be able to capture these irises in garden settings with other Summer flowers. So, when disaster struck my garden over the last couple of years, I saw an opportunity to create a new garden that could create these little pictures.

One would think there would be lots of pictures of Spring garden settings. Not! I found only one from my garden, which I offer as an example. Iris pallida ‘Argentea’ growing with pink dianthus in my former rock garden shows what I mean. The wiki would welcome many of these garden scenes. If you have images of “Iris Garden Scenes” you can share them by attaching them to this page: https://wiki.irises.org/Gdn/PhotoGalleryVariousIrisGardenScenes. Even though we judge irises for their merit as “Garden” plants, we seldom see images of garden scenes. I do not wish to disparage the Iris collector’s gardens with specimens growing in rows like corn. After all I am a collector myself! Growing irises in rows is easiest way to maintain a large collection. However, I suggest there are more gardeners who want irises as part of a perennial border than those who crave a monoculture dedicated to one flowering genus.

Iris pallida 'Zebra' with dianthus (left) and Iris norrissii in container (right)

Unfortunately, I do not have a blank palette to work with. My former summer garden which used to contain about a hundred sun coleus and a few choice perennials was decimated over the last couple of years by large trees falling on it. The first tree to fall, was quite charming. It pulled partly out of the ground and “lay” suspended at a forty-degree angle over the back of the flowerbed. It was a pine tree that did not die, but continued to grow sideways such that it appeared as a giant bonsai. It was very picturesque. The root ball half out of the ground made this large mound that became covered with moss and it looked like a three-foot hobbit’s house. Overall, the effect was quite magical. This fairytale-like setting lasted perhaps a year but then other trees began to fall from different directions. Soon this crisscrossed pile was a mess stacking a good 10 feet tall. Unfortunately, my health declined such that I could not start a chainsaw. The tree pile would have to wait until I felt better. Immediately Scuppernong Grapevine took hold and tied the branches all together. Through this incredible structure, blackberries and Japanese honeysuckle rose up. The blackberries made it nasty with their thorns and the crowning touch was a Smilax rotundifolia (common name: Greenbrier).

"Hobbit House" of moss from roots of fallen three. Since tree is now cut the house is sinking.

If you do not live in the South, you may not know the potential of Smilax rotundifolia. It is an edible asparagus relative. If you have read the “Uncle Remus Tales” with Briar Rabbit and Briar Fox you may have a clue as to how nasty this plant can be. The mature stems are a bright green but quite woody, sometimes with inch-long thorns. It is said to develop large tubers deep underground from which it can send up stalks that may rise several feet in a week. When we first moved here, we tackled a large briar patch with a large piece of equipment that could grind up trees to create roads through the forest. But unfortunately, I did not want to create a road to and through my flowerbed. Because of the risk of copperheads, I did not want to attack this tangle until winter. Late this winter I began removing big tubs of plant material each day. Now only a small corner of “The pile” still exists. But it is time to plant so work on the bed has shifted.

Greenbrier coming through hosta

The corner of the tree pile remains about one third of its original height

I plant everything in my garden in large pots (usually 5 gallon). This allows me …in theory… to move things around. Filled with moist soil, each potted plant can weigh up to 45 pounds wet. Thus, moving plants around rarely happens. I also plant in pots because many locations in my yard have less than an inch of soil before hitting rock. They do not call the town Roxboro for nothing! As the plants grow, they hide the pots and the bed looks like a normal flowerbed. Well almost! Plants are less hardy above ground in a pot, but placing many together improves hardiness. Irises and many perennials have little trouble overwintering. I think a few perennials may actually do better because they are well-drained during the winter.

I also use annuals for an early summer punch of color. The collector in me comes through because I strive for over a hundred varieties of sun coleus. I love the tapestry many varieties create much like a Persian carpet. But in years past, I grew them in one-gallon pots. If not reliably pinched back, by the end of summer, they can become too tall for the best effect and it will be a challenge to get them to look just right when the Iris norrissii is in bloom.

Sun coleus last year making colorful tapestry

More Sun coleus

Another ongoing challenge I face is rabbits. I try to surround the garden with rabbit fences, but it only deters them. It does not keep them out. Sadly, the fencing also makes it difficult for me to walk through the garden. My wife complains that she cannot pick up the flowers without good paths. But the paths make it easy for the rabbits and our Wolfhounds love to inspect the garden during their walks. They can easily jump over the fences. But I dare not create a dead-end path because the dogs will plow right through the plants to continue out.

Dogs are a potential garden hazard

I thought I would be clever and plant some poisonous plants so the rabbits would find the area unattractive. Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa is a beautiful plant that attracts and feeds Monarch butterflies; so of course it was first on my list. The milky sap should be distasteful and yet as it came up I found plants that the rabbit had trimmed back. This species of butterfly weed comes in bright yellow (‘Hello Yellow’) and the normal intense orange.

Asclepias tuberosa

Years ago, I met the Iris hybridizer Carl Wyatt. He hybridized an early tall bearded rebloomer ‘Corn Harvest’. I went to his garden in June because I wanted to see his butterfly weeds. He used to supply seed to Park’s Seed and had acres and acres of Asclepias in full bloom. Imagine a ten-acre plot of deep red Asclepias tuberosa. He even had flowers that were red and yellow combo resembling the Mexican tropical Asclepias curassavica. He showed me one plant which was a cross between the common milkweed A. syriaca and A. tuberosa that had large pink flowers. The mixture of red/yellow A. tuberosa seed was offered as ‘Gay Butterflies’. Unfortunately, the Dutch have corrupted the original name by adding Swamp milkweed A. incarnata to the mix. I still order ‘Gay Butterflies’ hoping to reclaim the deep red scarlet that Carl had searched long and hard for. But back to the rabbits!

'Corn Harvest'
photo by Elladan McLeester

Marigolds are supposed to smell bad. Personally, I love the odor. They provide bright color and if they don’t stop the rabbits at least they may discourage a few bugs. So, of course marigolds would be an annual I would want in the garden.

The summer garden is also my wife’s cutting garden and she loves to pick daisies. Marigolds are in the daisy family along with zinnias, tithonias, rudbeckias, echinacea, shasta daisies, coreopsis, cosmos, etc. I try to incorporate all of these into the garden. I try to include as many perennial daisies as possible. Ordering a hybrid cultivar Rudbeckia (Gloriosa Daisy) may cost $16 each. I am fortunate to live within driving distance of Big Bloomers nursery where I can find seedlings in 4 packs for $4. If I was industrious I could also sow the seeds myself but without a greenhouse it is difficult to get them started early enough.

Many new Echinacea, Rudbeckias and Coreopsis are making their ways into the “Big Box” stores. Coreopsis especially has undergone wonderful transformations at the hand of Darrell Probst. Darrell is also an Iris hybridizer all that part of his work certainly does not support him like his world-famous tickseeds. But his Iris Norrissiis I hope will be an important part of this summer garden. I have a few on order from Joe Pye Weed gardens that should arrive in July.

Coreopsis

Iris norrissii 'Butterfly Magic' (left) and 'Spooky World' (right)

Iris norrissii 'Mandarin Lady' (left) and 'Pastel Parfait' (right)

So presently I am trying to get this collection of plants into large pots for the garden. Fortunately, I was able to pick up some reblooming irises in pots at our local Iris Show. By carefully moving them into larger pots and babying them with water and fertilizer I hope to get them to bloom for this Summer/Fall.

Work has also ground to a halt in the back of the middle of the garden. A Carolina Wren has built a nest in one of the pots in from of the brush pile I want to remove. Carolina Wrens are a strange bird that likes to be in the middle of things. For several years we had them build nests in the wreath hanging on our front door. When you opened the door, they would explode out from the wreath. If you opened it too fast, they were likely to fly into the house rather than away from it. One year they kept slipping through our screen door and built a nest in a light fixture on the screened-in porch. Unfortunately, we had no clue until we turned on the light and the fixture burst into flames. Fortunately, the babies had already fledged. My present wren bursts off the nest when I get within a couple of feet so temporarily, she owns that part of the garden until her babies are grown.

Carolina Wren

I think the best part of gardening is dreaming about what could be. I hope I will be successful at creating some pretty garden pictures. Yet I can already hear another nearby tree creaking that could become another calamity for the garden. Or perhaps the rabbit will suddenly acquire a taste for another garden plant. But maybe I will win for a change, and bring forth some great images of Irises in the garden. If you would like to help me out, add some of your own images to the garden page listed above.


 Last year's Iris norrissi 'Hello Yellow'

Friday, October 28, 2022

IRISES: The Bulletin of the AIS - Fall 2022 Edition

By Andi Rivarola

A warm welcome to those who are seeing IRISES, the Bulletin of The American Iris Society for the first time. If you are a member of The American Iris Society I hope you enjoy this new issue.

The Fall 2022 issue of the AIS Bulletin will be available online soon, accessible via the Emembers section of the AIS website. The print copy has been mailed via the U.S. Post Office. On the cover, Dykes Medal winner for 2022 'Football Hero' (Lynda Miller 2015, TB). 

Also, featured below, the back cover, the Fred And Barbara Walther Cup winner ‘Bright And Shining Star’ (Paul Black 2020, TB).

Note: to access this area of the website, you must have a current AIS Emembership. (AIS Emembership is separate from the normal AIS membership.) Please see the Electronic Membership Information are of the AIS website for more details.




The 2022 AIS Award Winners can be viewed starting on page 2 and 3, then continues on pages 24 - 31 with a full list of winners, then ending on page 78 with more images to enjoy. 

An extended version of Section Happenings with photos, articles and program information can be found on pages 14 through 17.

International News are on pages 18 through 20.

Our newer bulletin section, Beginners Corner is on page 22.
To give feedback in a survey about the AIS Bulletin please refer to page 23.

Unraveling the Awards System, an article about our very own AIS awards, is on page 32. 

Are you a new member of AIS? Enjoy the article Dear Newcomer: Volunteering at an Iris Event Will Be a Reciprocal Benefit, on pages 33 - 35.

It's all about the 2023 National Convention in Dallas, TX on pages 36 through 39, including the registration form and a great description of the gardens. Welcome to DALLAS!, April 12–16, 2023.

On pages 40 - 40 enjoy beautiful pictures of the Las Cruces 2022 National Convention, plus an account of convention information, described by a member of the Mesilla Valley Iris Society in A Few Weeks After the 2022 National Convention.

And, yes, there was another convention earlier in the spring, and you can see and learn all about it on pages 50 - 58, What? Another Convention? Siberian/Species Iris Convention.

The Louisiana Iris Popularity Poll is on page 59. 

On to pages 60 - 63 for Deja Vu in ‘22, AIS Region 18 Spring Meeting and Garden Tour.

Reflections on a Great Seedling Show, on pages 64 and 65.
And lastly, learn all about the New Online Iris Register on pages 66 and 67.

There's a lot more to see and read in this edition of IRISES, either in digital or print formats. 


/./././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././.

Support the Work of The American Iris Society by Becoming a Member:

Not a member of the American Iris Society? Please see our website for information about becoming one: http://irises.org/
Happy Gardening!

  • The Annual Full Membership receives both benefits described above.
  • Participate in AIS’s bi-monthly Webinar Series featuring AIS experts from around the U.S.
  • Get to know about our lesser known irises, such as species, spuria, Japanese, Louisiana, Siberian and other beardless irises.
  • Participate in the Annual convention. The next convention will be in Dallas, TX in 2023.  
  • Support AIS's mission of education, conservation, research, preserving historical archives, and outreach projects.
  • Did you know that The American Iris Society is the registration authority for all rhizomatous irises worldwide?  
  • The Iris Encyclopedia is available 24-7, 365 days a year, and filled with a wealth of iris knowledge. Stop by for a visit!

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

American Iris Society Photo Contest

The American Iris Society invites you to participate in their Annual Photo Contest. This contest is free and open to everyone, with the exception of contest Judges and the contest coordinator, who are not eligible to enter.
Image by Bryce Williamson
The winning photo of each category will be published in the AIS Winter magazine and placed on the AIS web site.  

The 2019 winner of each category will receive a 2019 introduction (within USA only). The winners will also receive a single e-membership or annual membership extension to AIS. (Winners who are AIS life members will receive an e-membership or annual membership in an AIS Section of their choice.) Runners-up of each category will receive a 2017 or 2018 introduction (within the USA only).

The contest runs May 1st to August 1st. All entries must be received by MIDNIGHT- California Time--on August 1.

Please visit the AIS website (http://www.irises.org/Photo_and_Galleries/Enter_Photo_Contest.html) for further instructions and to download the contest entry form.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm, Part 3

By Bryce Williamson

On the scenic drive up the Columbia River Gorge on the bus at the 2015 AIS National, I read that when Chad Harris and Dale Grams moved to what would become Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm they found the fields covered in old growth Himalayan blackberries ranging from 10 to 15 feet deep.  The next three years were spent clearing the land.


Today no sign of the overgrowth is present and instead, we were greeted with long rows of well grown irises, expanses of manicured lawn, and perennial borders.  Yes, peak bloom for bearded irises had passed, but after peak bloom the weather had turned cool to cold and damp to wet so there were many irises still in good bloom.  In fact, I found the three days of the tour to be the best days I have ever spent taking images since the overcast weather reduced shadows and helped create good quality images.


There were a number of tall bearded irises that I saw and liked in this garden over the last two years.  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will curb my verbosity and let the pictures do the talking.

Lynda Miller's Miniature Tall Bearded, 'Moose Tracks', was attracting attention in the guest beds.  My thanks to Kelly Norris for permission to use his copyrighted image.

Moose Tracks would go on and win the Hager Cup at the Awards Banquet on the last night of the convention.




















I don't know whether to be happy or sad that I live so far away from Mt. Pleasant Iris Farms. There is so much to see from very early in the spring through June that if I lived closer, I would be making a pest of myself and visiting the garden every ten days.  On the bucket lists for the future is a trip up to Washington to see the Japanese irises in bloom.  Chad wrote that next year the Japanese irises will be blooming on 2 and 3 year clumps and the results should be spectacular.

Chad Harris's introductions can be found at two sources: http://www.mtpleasantiris.com and http://aitken-garden.goodsie.com

Images in this blog are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission of the copyright holders Bryce Williamson and Kelly Norris.


Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Mt. Pleasant Iris Farms, Part 2

By Bryce Williamson

While my first blog on this amazing garden focused on Siberian irises, this time I want to highlight some of the other beardless irises growing in the garden that Chad Harris grows and, in two cases, hybridizes.

Last year, on my first visit to Mt. Pleasant Iris Farms, I drove up Highway 14 and onto Marble Road to the manicured garden, where I parked in the shade by the barn.  Immediately I was drawn to one of the water features of the garden— a lovely pond with naturalized irises. A spring on the north hillside provides the gravity feed to run sprinklers.



 Little did I know at that moment that almost 25 years of hard work has gone into this paradise.


Chad is careful not to plant any water irises that are fertile and might release seeds that would get into the Columbia River Basin ecosystem.



Chad has spent the last 15 years working with Iris laevigata, a native to North East Asia, Russia, and Japan. As the Mt. Pleasant catalogue notes, “A true water iris, Iris laevigata will look its best growing in shallow water or a large pot with a deep reservoir filled with water. It can also thrive in a moist to wet setting such as a rain garden."

“Iris Laevigata will grow from 24 to 36 inches tall with 4 to 6 inch flowers." To date, Chad has introduced the two hybrids pictured below:

'Lakeland Ghost'
'Blue Rivulets' photo by Chad Harris
Recently, Chad has also been growing "Pseudata" seedlings. These are, to quote from the catalogue, “a cross between plants with iris pseudacorus backgrounds and iris ensata (Japanese, Hanashobu). The iris world is very fortunate that Hiroshi Shimizu shared many years of his work; finding a good pod parent ('Gubijin') so all hybridizers could explore the possibilities that this cross may bring to the garden."

Harris pseudata seedling in a clump
Harris 08SPCX D photo by Chad Harris
Harris HPIM9403 photo by Chad Harris
Harris 08SPCX D photo by Chad Harris
Harris 08SPCX F photo by Chad Harris
During the National Convention of The American Iris Society  in which this garden was part of the tour, one other interspecies hybrid attracted much attention. In a huge, husky clump, Jill Copeland’s 'Do the Math' was impressive.



A surprise in the garden was Phillip Ramare's PC-1.  Usually Pacific Coast Natives bloom early, but this nicely colored seedling was still in good bloom.

Chad Harris's introductions can be found at two sources: http://www.mtpleasantiris.com and http://aitken-garden.goodsie.com. Both Mt. Pleasant Iris Farms and Aitken’s Salmon Creek also carry a wide range of other types of beardless irises.



More on Mt. Pleasant Iris Farms to come!

Please respect the copyright on these images by Bryce Williamson and Chad Harris.