Bloom-a-day 4: Bearded Iris

Like an artist's paint palette exploded, the garden is alive with color everywhere I look. 

I've decided to feature a bloom a day until this beautiful show comes to a close.

Holding a special place in my heart are the bearded iris.

No matter how much I want to introduce other colors into the garden,

I am always drawn back to the pale blue varieties.

Bloom-a-day 1: Dutch Iris

Like an artist's paint palette exploded, the garden is alive with color everywhere I look. 

I've decided to feature a bloom a day until this beautiful show comes to a close.

Brilliant and electric yet peaceful and soothing...

I never cease to be mesmerized by the dutch iris. 

So... Japanese water iris aren't really water plants

In my last post, I shared the beautiful purple Japanese water iris that is blooming in the garden right now.  But the deep purple variety isn't the only one I have. I thought the others should get their time in the spotlight too. And also I wanted to share a bit about what I've discovered about Japanese water iris since I planted my first one (the deep purple) years ago without any idea what I was doing.

Years ago, I found my first Japanese water iris rhizome (it looks like a gnarled potato) in a package hanging on a display at WalMart along with other water plants like water lilies. I'd just finished digging and lining our pond and thought, "Cool! I've never heard of these but I love iris and they say 'water' on the label. Must be a good pond plant." 

Fortunately, I didn't have the space for the iris in the pond, so I planted it in a large pot without a drainage hole that I situated next to the pond. I installed a dripper connecting it to the drip-mist system that waters the rest of the garden and left it alone. It rewarded me immediately with beautiful foliage (that I would later discover is prized in Japanese ikebana floral arranging) as well as the deep purple blooms that I've come to treasure each year.

Years later when I found out about the benefits of having the green spearlike foliage in floral arrangements, I decided to expand and find more varieties of Japanese water iris. This time I went online and ordered from reputable growers.

I got them home and planted them in large pots generally in the same area as the first and installed drippers in each one.

Then I waited....

... and waited.

Hmmm... something wasn't right. They put out foliage but not much, and they didn't bloom.

I did some online research and found out that the Japanese water iris would be much happier in smaller pots. The fact that the first one did so well in the large pot must have been beginner's luck.

I also found out that Japanese water iris don't like to grow in the water like other water plants. Soggy feet make them unhappy. The fact that the first one did so well in the pot without a drainage hole must also have been beginner 's luck.

At the end of last summer, I transplanted the struggling new varieties into 10-inch terra cotta pots. I positioned one pot far away from the pond's edge next to where a couple of pots of sun-loving lavender. I positioned couple others closer to the pond amidst the wide swath of river rocks around the pond, but not close enough to benefit from any water.

I ran small watering lines to each pot to connect them to the drip-mist watering system with one dripper per pot. They would be watered on a timer along with the rest of the garden for 15 minutes each morning. That isn't a lot of water but enough to keep things flourishing during the dry months half the year.

The existing foliage withered and browned after the transplant, but I didn't give up hope. I figured it was to be expected, and they'd need the winter to get used to their new homes.

Then I waited...

... and waited.

Finally, my waiting was rewarded last week when I discovered the first blooms on the transplants! They are happy and thriving in the small pots, even in the locations farther from the pond (see the variegated one above).

I learned that Japanese water iris don't need a pond to thrive and grow. They don't even need a big garden--just a 10-inch pot, full sun and a regular drip of water will do. Such beautiful blooms and a non-demanding plant are a perfect pairing for this gardener.

The royal purple robes of the Japanese water iris have unfurled

When the weather has warmed enough to coax them from their hibernation, the Japanese water iris send forth green spears. I wait and wait for the day when they unfurl their regal glory. That day came this week. And the brilliance of the iris' purple robes is unrivaled by anything else in the garden.

Prints, canvases and greeting cards of the above art available here

A sea of yellow sunshine

I had never heard of Pacific coast native iris until I ran across some at our local nursery a couple of years ago. I bought some, brought them home and planted them in a pot at the edge of the pond. Even though they were irrigated as part of the drip system they weren't really prolific bloomers. They always looked kind of spindly and rather sad like they were on the verge of kicking the bucket at any moment.

A year ago I transplanted them into the ground in a raised bed I'd formed from chunks of concrete left over from one of my demolition projects. I put a dripper at the base of each of the three plants and hoped for the best because they looked really pathetic.

They hobbled along all last summer but didn't look too great. "Oh well," I thought.

This year I didn't make it out into the garden very much in March when we had some rain (finally). So imagine my surprise when I wandered out in the garden a couple of days ago to find this...

The whole raised bed is packed with iris! It is a sea of yellow sunshine!

I guess it goes to show you that sometimes a lost cause isn't really a lost cause at all... it's just an opportunity waiting to take root in the right soil.

Believe it or not, the bearded iris is blooming

Yes, it is true. Early spring comes in February in our Mediterranean climate, but even here this is early for bearded iris. It's normally set to bloom around late March at the earliest with April being it's typical month. I suppose its sheltered spot with lots of morning and mid-day sun made this iris think it was later in the year. I'm not complaining. It's a wonderful spot of deep rich purple in a garden that's pretty devoid of blooms otherwise.

Two views of a purple Japanese Water Iris

I think many people wonder why so many of my photographs and paintings feature flowers. I discovered the 20th century artist Georgia O'Keefe when I was an Art History major at Mills College in the early 1990's. Her floral work moved me and intrigued me. I felt myself connecting with the way she was viewing and representing the flowers in her work.

Georgia O'Keefe said:

"Nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small. We haven't time - and to see takes time like to have a friend takes time.

"If I could paint the flower exactly as I see it no one would see what I see because I would paint it small like the flower is small. So I said to myself - I'll paint what I see - what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it - I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers."

"I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty."

"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not."

Read more quotes by clicking here

Her words could be my own. The small and subtle details of the many flowers that grace this earth have drawn me in since I was a small child. And finding a way to celebrate what I see in a flower through my art and photography has been one of my strongest creative motivations both before and after my discovery of Georgia O'Keefe.

The two images I've included in this post are a perfect example of what I mean. Below, is a photograph I took last week of one of the Japanese Water Iris that grows and blooms at the pond's edge in the back garden here at Rosehaven Cottage.

This shot is "SOOC" or straight out of the camera. That means that I haven't done any digital editing to it once I imported it into my computer from my camera. I just added a watermark and that's it.

The image at the beginning of this post is the same photo except I cropped it digitally after I imported it into my computer from my camera. It's the same photo of the same flower but looks at what you see now:

Because the flower doesn't automatically register in your mind as, "Oh, that's just a flower", your eye can pay attention to the details that your mind would gloss over otherwise.

• The pearlescent sparkles on the petal of the iris become evident. It's a beautiful detail on most iris petals that is often missed.
• The edges of the petals become more obvious and the forms they create become more striking especially against the darker background that creates the negative space in the composition of the photo.
• Little details like the curl of a petal become strikingly prominent and make your eye follow their fluid flowing lines. Your eye moves through the composition differently because of it.
• The small patch of yellow in the throat of the iris is now the central focus of the photo. Against the purples of the rest of the petal, it becomes an example of a perfect pairing of complementary colors (colors that sit opposite one another on the basic color wheel). Yellow and purples are complementary colors. The combination of red and green is another one. And the pairing of blue and orange is yet another. Complementary color pairings are very pleasing to the eye. And nature is demonstrating this with this flower.
• Nature's artistry is also seen in the beautiful veining of the petals. The lines create symmetry, flow and interest in the photo.

The flower is no longer just a flower... it is a work of art that made you look more carefully. That is why there are so many flowers in my work. Yes, I love flowers, but what I truly love are their artful details.

The Pacific Coast Native Iris is back and blooming

Despite my love of iris, I'd never heard of this variety until a few years ago when I ran across it at the nursery. I got one and brought it home to Rosehaven Cottage. It lived in a pot for a couple of years but stopped blooming. So last fall I divided it and transplanted it to a raised planter at the base of the olive tree where other bearded iris live. To my delight its blooming again this year!

It has a name!

Thanks to a very helpful comment left by Mommy Bee in which her father gave some extremely helpful clues as to the variety of my mystery bearded iris, I believe I have finally tracked down a positive identification!

I think it's a Wabash!

The photo and description at White Flower Farm really cinched it. Here's what it says:

"A look of tailored elegance is the gift this heirloom Iris brings to the bed or border. 'Wabash' was first introduced in 1936 and became a favorite Bearded Iris of the 1940s and '50s. When the sweetly fragrant blossoms open in June, it's easy to understand why. The crisp white of the standards (the smaller, erect petals) poses a striking contrast to the reddish purple of the pendulous falls, which are finished round the edge with a fine, pale piping."

So I've got an heirloom iris and I didn't even know it.

A New Bearded Iris

On Sunday, I went out to stroll around the gardens (as I always do after church) and discovered that a new bearded iris has bloomed at the base of the olive tree. The depth of the purple enchants me like you wouldn't believe!

I think this is from some rhizomes that a neighbor gave me when she was dividing hers. It's never bloomed before, so I was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful colors.

Does anyone know the name of this variety so I can call it by its proper name?

Rose Nostalgia Collection 2009-2010 18-month Calendars are now available!

Rhapsody in Blue

Lilacs on our warm climate "Lavender Lady" lilac bushes

It seems that everything is blooming in blues and purples right now in the Rosehaven Cottage gardens. It is a wonderfully serene yet vibrant show that's going on. Blue and purple flowers always amaze and entrance me.

Dutch Iris

I've been reading the book "Flower Confidential" by Amy Stewart. One of the fascinating things in the book is the discussion of how the color of a flower is determined by its internal chemical makeup at a cellular level. There's a lot of science behind it (I won't bore you with the details), but it is a fact that some flowers cannot be blue unless genetically altered. Because of this, no one has yet been able to breed a true "blue" rose.

Dover Beach Bearded Iris

The last I heard, no one has been able to breed a truly "scarlet red" bearded iris for the same scientific reasons why no one can breed a "blue" rose. Frankly, I'm happy with the fact that in order to have blue AND red flowers in my garden I have to have both iris and roses.

"Blue Ribbon" Rose

And even though it isn't really "blue", I think that the "Blue Ribbon" rose is absolutely beautiful. With its dusky scent it smells like the old rose perfumes from decades ago. When I smell it, I am transported back to standing at my Grammy's dressing table when I was 6 years old sniffing all the lovely potions and lotions.

If I really stop to think about it, each one of the flowers pictured here reminds me of my Grammy and her garden. Even the subtle scent of the bearded iris has that connection for me. Isn't it interesting how scents and smells from positive early childhood experiences continue to attract us, particularly women?

What color and scent are the blooms that remind you of happy and content times in your life?

Cool Flowers on a Hot Sunday Garden Walk

Above: The view today of the front garden path leading from our front door out to the pergola

This weekend is unseasonably warm in our part of the world. The sun is bright and the air is bordering on oppressively hot. We're having to run the air-conditioner for the first time this year because the temperature monitor reads 87 F (30.5 C) in the shade. We get the odd hot weekend in spring here in the Bay Area so this isn't really unusual. It will cool off again in a day or so as the winds shift and the cool air blows in from off the Pacific Ocean.

Despite the heat, I went out in the garden to take photos of some of the spectacular blooms that have been coaxed open quickly by the warmth of the sun. And I found little pockets of "cool" in the blues and purples of the blooms around the garden. I've written before that I have a weakness for all blooms that are blue or blue-ish in hue. You can imagine how tickled "blue" I am with the current state of the garden.

My bearded iris are doing very well this year. In fact, many of them are blooming for the first time EVER despite being in the ground and producing spears for years prior to this. I'd begun to lose hope that I'd ever see a bloom and figured I'd just have to enjoy the great dagger-shaped foliage of the iris (which I love).

But this year has been a good year for the bearded iris (guess they just needed to get acclimated). And as they've bloomed they've each been a little tiny surprise package for me because I had forgotten what colors I planted! Add to that all the moves I'd done to the rhizomes from one part of the garden to another, and I've lost track of everything all together in the bearded iris department! I know. Master gardeners much be cringing as they read this. At least I'm admitting it right?


Anyway...

This bearded iris may be a Dover Beach (I know I planted that variety at one time) but I don't think it is because the Dover Beach has a whiter top to it and less yellow on the beards than this one has.

Did you know that bearded iris have a "fragrance"? It's not the scent most people would consider to be a "fragrance", but like the other spring flower, the daffodil, bearded iris have a wonderful fresh scent that seems to just say "spring" for me. It's kind of like the smell that hits you when you walk into a florist shop but more distinct and uniquely "iris".

Did you also know that a lot of bearded iris have a pearlescent quality to their petals? So when you look at one in the right light, the petals glisten and glint like someone has sprinkled them with a pinch of pixie dust. If you enlarge the close-up photo at right you may be able to see the glistening on the petals at the top.

Moving on from the iris...

I am thrilled to bits that my Blue Ribbon rose is in bloom! It's blooms have a wonderful nostalgic rose scent that smells just like the rose scented lotions, potions and perfumes my Grammy used to have on her dressing table. When I breathe it in, the heirloom essence takes me back to times that were even before I was.

This favorite rose is a great producer that has about 2-3 really good "shows" each year. The blooms come out in large groups, put on a grand show, and then the rosebush waits for a month or two before its encore performance(s).

I like this rose because of its dark glossy foliage. Roses with dark glossy foliage tend to be the most disease resistant and trouble-free of all roses. So when I'm choosing a bareroot rose at the nursery, I check the package to see what the description of the leaves is and whether it says "dark glossy foliage" or something to that effect. If it doesn't, then it doesn't matter how much I love the photo on the front of the package. I put it back on the nursery shelf for someone else to buy and fuss over. I'll take naturally trouble-free roses anyday, thank you very much. And this Blue Ribbon rose is of that ilk. Combine that with being a "blue" flower and you've got a true winner in my book!

Now I'm going to go and relax in the air-conditioned living room with Hubby and wait out this heat until the evening brings cool breezes off the water.