thank you andrea, tom, and monty.

i've actually had blooms since january first. however with the storms, constant wind and rain, i've not been able to get pictures. no one wants to see all the "melted" blooms on stalks. it's been a heartbreaking sight.

'cozy cotton', 'autumn explosion', and 'concertina' would have had a great show and some clump pics (which are rare for me) had it not been for the rain. we've had these on and off heavy wind rain storms since december, and just experienced another a few days ago. there's another predicted for saturday which is supposed to include hail.

another crazy phenomenon, i picked my last cucumber from season 2023 in february 2024. the craziest plant growing from 2023 is the 3" round japanese eggplant, still fruiting and bearing fruit today. we just had chicken/eggplant parmesan last night with 5 of the fruit.

the weather has been relatively mild this winter, but we did experience some low 40's to mid 30's for several weeks during the coldest months dec.-feb.

i planted radishes in january, didn't get any produce. now, they are bolting and in full flower. we did manage to have a few young leaves for our salads.

shizen said:
another crazy phenomenon, i picked my last cucumber from season 2023 in february 2024. the craziest plant growing from 2023 is the 3" round japanese eggplant, still fruiting and bearing fruit today. we just had chicken/eggplant parmesan the last night with 5 of the fruit.

That really is crazy - but great! Wish that would happen here!

Marilyn - To make a long story short, we started homesteading as my dad's sort of dying wish but it got way out of hand. Us able bodied people couldn't keep up with it all. Once my dad passed, we were so fed up with homesteading, we nearly entirely stopped.

Right now, we still have three goats and that's it! Pretty soon, we are going to get some chickens again. I think we all miss having chickens. Such fun critters, when you don't go seriously overboard.

Daphne - Sometimes plants just don't care what we think, do they?

Gretchen, I doubt that I'll be able to take many PCI pics this season. I'm pretty busy right now, as we are traveling the next couple weeks (I'm starting to get into my usual semi-panic mode and starting to do the marathon laundry and packing and other things that need doing), and then once we get back it's MORE laundry and get the tomatoes planted and then I have to get ready for a maybe knee replacement surgery.

If you're in the Sacramento valley (or worse, up near Redding), yowza, that gets super hot during the summer. I'd say good luck to keeping PCIs alive (but then, what do I know?, and I've pushed boundaries myself with certain plants, so I say go for it!). Afternoon shade would be a must, though. Also, fwiw, I ignore people who say don't irrigate the PCIs. Our garden is on twice-weekly automatic irrigation, and so far as I can tell, the PCIs (those that I was able to establish in the first place) are doing fine, no foliage problems or anything. (They *are* in a redwood root choked area, though, so you may have to factor in your soil type and root competition or lack thereof...)

Thanks for the explanation, Monty. I have an inkling of the enormous amount of work in homesteading (a niece is doing it, just her and her middle school age daughter, and I'm suspecting that won't last past when the daughter goes off to college, IF she goes). I can also understand wanting chickens ("pets", eggs, pest control), but unless you are milking the goats or using them to keep the vegetation down, I'm surprised that you still have them.

'charismatic' is another iris i managed to capture before day's end.

Here's another photo of the same iris, but now it has much taller stalk. How would you describe this iris bloom?

Do you recognize it? I've looked through my records but didn't find anything☹️


Here are couple LA irises:

[quote="piksihk"] Do you recognize it? I've looked through my records but didn't find anything☹️


I thought maybe Romance would be a match, but on looking at the pictures side by side, I don't think so. Some similarities though.

My iris has started for the earliest time ever.

SDB Skyray



First bloom, and have had this one since 2018. Worth the wait!

Marilyn - I am honestly not sure why we still have goats. No milk gathered from them. They're just...there lol

Thank you, Marilyn, for your response on the PCNs. I bought about 8 at the Fall Regional for region 14. Didn't pay much, thiught it worth trying. Also bought 3 JIs fir experiment. 2 of the JIs came up and all of the PCNs have shot up new leaves. I planted them way too close together but I think that's where they'll have to stay cause I read they are finicky about being moved. Sure hope they all can bloom for me. Even if it's just once. I will baby them until then.

Good for you for trying, Gretchen!

I'd definitely leave the PCIs alone (you can fertilize them but do NOT dig them) until late October/early November, which is when folks hereabouts seem to divide them. (I've been too chicken to do so myself, though once I get mobility back (if ever) I need to do so.) I tried planting out a potted PCI once about this time of year, and ended up killing it. So, wait...

I very much wish you good luck!

But, what is a JI? Japanese Iris? I have never tried those... don't they want a lot of water?

I have just a few littles blooming. SDBs don't do well for me, for some reason, but these few are faithful bloomers:

I don't know the name of this one - does anybody recognize it?



Enchanted Princess



I have Cat's Eye blooming, too, but the rain yesterday beat down the blooms. This is from last year:



Here is a new-t0-me intermediate bearded iris, Marsh Mist. I quite like it.

Possibly:

Great blooms, Andrea!

SDB Blue Hues (second year clump)

Laurie - Thanks! 'Serenity Prayer' has purple-based foliage, so I don't think my NOID is that. "Little Surfer Girl' is definitely a contender!

SDB 'Greenback Kid' joins the mix. Third SDB

Iris acutiloba is the only oncocycle that grows naturally in Russia (Dagestan). Bloomed today

That's a funny little iris, Serjio.
Thanks for the encouragement, Marilyn. Yes, JI stands gor Japanese Iris. And yes, they like water. I happened to plant mine in a little depression and am keeping them somewhat wet. I know most people keep them potted in a few inches of water like a baby tub. sort of found that out after I planted them in the ground. New sdb ones today-ish were: Golden Apricot

and Join In

and My Cher, which is full flowered and nicely patterned.

Serjio said: Iris acutiloba is the only oncocycle that grows naturally in Russia (Dagestan). Bloomed today

How dramatic

Gretchen - Nice littles!

My first iris of the year is Quench.


I see a ton of buds, the the fun is just beginning!
Other blooms in my yard today.

No irises have bloomed here yet. We've had some warm days, followed by rain or snow, in an "off and on" pattern.😏