Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Wildflowers and Iris


The Hawthorns that get sun have just finished. They put on a good show
this year. These are near the end of the paddock with the big horse shelter.


Usually I don't try to get pictures of the deer, as they are most evident at dusk when it's
too dark to take pictures, but on this day they appeared while there was still adequate light.



They don't bother to jump the post-and-rail fences; it's easier to go through them instead.


Atamasco lilies are blooming in the adjacent paddock.


There are bouquets of Atamasco lilies in the floodway fields too.


Back in the garden: I really need more SDBs; Pippi Longstocking has a longer bloom time than any of my other bearded iris and she's adorable.



There's going to be a lot of Jesse's Song blooming in the bed next to the neighbor's pasture this year.











With 'Rainbow Knockout'


and 'Foxi Pavement' in the far distance.

I know this is a lot of pictures of one border, but I really need to revel in these; I'm not sure how much my other iris are going to bloom, and I wait all year for these irises.



Some of the white iris from Gene's grandmother's garden (nicknamed Eva's White) are have started to open up too. I definitely detect vanilla.


31 comments:

  1. I can see why you wait all year to see these beautiful iris bloom again. They are all wonderful.

    Do the deer eat much from your gardens?

    Enjoy all that beauty that is surrounding you.

    FlowerLady

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  2. I'm digging iris for the Khlem plant sale. I need to really thin them out.

    Used to have Jesse's song years ago but it was crowed out by Superstition. My fault, careless.

    Every so often I catch a glimpse of the deer. Usually when I'm coming home after dark. They graze along the lane leading to my farm but never come into the yard or the near pasture.
    Marnie

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  3. The deer eat surprisingly little from the garden. We're surrounded by hundreds of acres of undeveloped floodplain and farmland here. They ate some of the tips of the evergreen azaleas in late winter and have been snacking on the daylily foliage but nothing too terrible.

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  4. Those Iris are beautiful, I enjoyed all the pictures of them.

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  5. Sweetbay,

    Missed seeing any Atamasco Lilies this year. Thanks for bring them to my screen! We have to go east a bit to see them.

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  6. Thank you Catherine.

    Marnie I think JS is a lot more vigorous in the South than in the North, based on what I've read. It fairly gallops here.

    As far as the deer -- we have at least one gang of 4 or 5 that spends a lot of time in the woods by the shelter paddock. At dusk they routinely appear at the edge of the woods as I'm bringing up the horses, jump the fence to the neighbors', and then return to our farm before it's fully dark. There are also bucks of course, as witnessed by the new fawns every year, but they are much more wary.

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  7. SweetBay, Are those pasture lilies native? I've never seen them before.
    Jim

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  8. Those lilies are native. They grow in wet places in the Southeast and their scientific name is Zephyranthes atamasca.

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  9. That gorgeous iris looks just like candy!

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  10. Beautiful photos. So, do those deer eat your plants?

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  11. My JS hasn't taken off yet so I'm enjoying yours, so glad to see the Rainbow Knockout making a contribution:) The photos of the garden are beautiful. I love how your grass paths look so soft and inviting.

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  12. I do love irises. I think they are such an elegant plant, particularly just before the buds open. Gotta say, I love the deer too! :)

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  13. Wow, the irises are lovely! I can see how you could wait all year to see this. Carla

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  14. Are the lilies fragrant? Very pretty.

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  15. Regarding the deer, see post 3. :) I have always expected that they would eat more than they do.

    The lilies are fragrant, but you have to bend way down or get on your hands and knees to catch the fragrance.

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  16. Irises are very elegant, but lilies won my heart! I've never seen deers going through fences. They are not dummies!

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  17. The Irises are beautiful. Seemed funny to see the deer going through the fence rather than jumping it.

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  18. The irises are beautiful, that purple and white is so scrumptious to the eye! The deer going through the fence cracks me up. We have barbed wire behind our house separating our land from the back woods and they sometimes go through it rather then the opening we cut out for them.

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  19. SB, They are beautiful~The iris not the very clever deer! Climbing through the fences is too much! Who knew they were relatives of Gumby and could bend so easily! Is that big beautiful purple and white iris more of jesse's song? Lovely...please show more! Those of us sun challenged drool over sun loving plants. gail

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  20. Your irises are so beautiful! Show as many photos of them as you want, Sweet Bay--I don't think I'll have many this year, so I'm enjoying every lovely bloom of yours.

    I feel as though I've just taken a peaceful walk through the countryside--thanks for such a lovely tour.

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  21. I'd be reveling, too. Those irises are beautiful! I love the "lilies of the field", too. Those deer sure are clever things. I hope our weather warms up soon.

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  22. I've come here two or three times to comment on your previous post (your gorgeous 'Old Blush' rose) only to be called away and not get back to it. Let me just say how spectacular it looks adorning your arbor before something happens again.
    Now back to the current post! Your iris are gorgeous. I am always amazed at how far ahead you are (seasonally) ~ it has looked like summer to me at your place for a couple weeks now. I know we won't see Iris for about a month.
    It's interesting how the deer go thru the fences. Conserves energy for grazing that lush grass!!
    Looks wonderful there Sweet Bay.

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  23. ps your Baptisias are AMAZING too. I planted one last year ~ it's pretty puny looking especially in comparison to your phenomenal clumps.

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  24. Hi sweetbay, I agree you can not rush beauties like these. Your garden has put on a glorious show. I do understand that you wait for these gorgeous Irises to bloom and let us share your admiration. Each one is so special, the colour, the patterns, so delightful. I have gone through the pictures many times its just a little bit like strolling to and fro in the garden. I like how you show the mass plantings and the macro shots of the flowers and the special one with the raindrops.
    The deer are cute, it looks like they have enough grass and do not eat your flowers! It is funny how they have learned to go through the fence. I used to have Kangaroos and Emus visiting my farm garden.
    The white lilies in the meadow are sweet too, they look a little like the rain lilies.

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  25. Your irises are beautiful!!!

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  26. Hello Sweetbay, congratulations for the wonderful fruits of your labor. I can relate to the happiness one feels when the plants begin to bloom. More and more flowers to come, except the deer, hehe!

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  27. This spring to me seems to be especially full of iris, maybe the prolonged cold shocked them. I spend every morning before work seeing what has opened. A parade of iris photos is likely to follow.

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  28. I think Iris is the national flower over here.

    Never seen Atamasco Lilies before. really nice.

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  29. Wow sweetbay, your irises are just beautiful, terrific pictures. :)

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  30. Hi,
    very beautiful photos,thanks for sharing.

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  31. You have lovely flowers. And you are so far ahead of me (I'm in Canada.)

    Enjoyed your photos!

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