Monday, April 26, 2010

Some Spring Color

It has been overcast most of the day, with gusting winds that promise a big storm, though none has materialized.  Twice today it's been "spitting rain," as my father would say.  It was actually the perfect day for gardening, and I got a few shots from the Stepchild Garden while puttering this morning.  I like the contrast between the Centaurea montana and this pass-along yellow bearded iris from my friend Alice's garden.
The Clematis "Fireworks" is a pretty generic clematis, but it works well climbing up the New Dawn Rose.  Once the rose comes into bloom, the clematis blossoms still work with the color.  I got lucky when "Ortel's Rose" yarrow self-seeded itself there, since it provides a third texture in the same color family.  Pamela Harper and Penelope Hobhouse would be so proud!
This white bearded iris is not fully opened, but positively glows!  I don't recall ever having it bloom before, or even where I got it......but who cares about that, right?  Just look at this baby go!
I do remember buying this one called "City Lights" a couple of years ago, and it's finally blooming!  The color is a really shocking purple-blue that really doesn't translate well in a photo.
This little one was originally at the John Paul Jones House in Portsmouth, NH, planted in 1905 to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth.  I stumbled upon their plant sale last summer, and carried the irises in a ziploc bag in my suitcase for a week!
Even these Walmart azaleas that were planted by the previous owner looked good this morning.  I cut down a nasty sweetgum last year that was in the middle of the clump, which now makes the perfect base for a trio of pots --- "Royal Velvet" supertunias from Proven Winners, a red banana, and a brugmansia called Betty Marshall that blooms white with chartreuse veins

4 comments:

  1. Looks gorgeous. Generic or not, the clematis is beautiful. Isn't funny when flowers reseed and find their way into areas you might not have thought of yourself? I just found strawberry in my perennial bed (through the help of birds?) and thought, why not?
    Love your find in the Whatever Martha moment. Looks really good on your moss stool.
    I just found moss shake in the store recently, something you use to put on stuff you want to cover in moss.

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  2. Great pictures and so nice to see all these wonderful flowers after the heat of India!

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  3. I am a sucker for Bearded Iris and have many, but only know the name of two. To me it doesn't really matter until someone asks me, then I think I should have written it down somewhere. i hope things go well for your tour.

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