Iris colours

So what have you got? It’s a bit like having a rummage in the sweetie jar.  Favourites – lots of those. But a few duds which left at the bottom and are only to be enjoyed when desperate.

My iris are up and out. And some are even over. So it’s about time you get a glimpse.  Iris are named after the Greek word rainbow and you get all colours here.  Even the ghastly yellows. Definitely the bottom of the sweetie jar for me. But they do make me smile. And grimace. Definitely the chocolate and brazil nut combo, rather than the rich truffle.

The dark blue ones appear first. And you may recall some were even trying to flower way back in January. Well, two of them tried.

I’m pleased that the large landscape project I undertook a few years back – creating the iris bed – consists mainly of those beautiful dark blues.

Best of all, the iris bank has bulked out well. I planted it up by scrabbling about with rhizomes I had used elsewhere and it looked frankly a bit bald in the start. Would it take off?

It is in full sun and baked most of the summer.  And there was no way I was going to lavish any sort of care or attention on this bank.  I did weed it once and then left it alone.

It turns out that I have created the perfect conditions for this wonderful plant to thrive. Sun, semi arid conditions and neglect.   And come this summer I will be raiding the bank to split and divide and get more plants.

The photos are decidedly scruffy right now: I haven’t had time to strim the paths beside it.  But it’s Sunday and our village is hosting its annual walking festival. So I don’t want the valley and mountains to reverberate with the sound of my strimmer or mower. I’m itching to get it done, but it will have to wait.  So you get scruffy. But colourful.