Good to know Elaine. It did triple it's size since I got it. I'll give it good food this year. It gets morning to 2 am sun and facing our retention pond, so I think it has a good location.

Ken, that iris is probably a historic from 1840 that I also have. Can't remember the name at the moment.

Is that good or bad, Kathy? I don't know a thing about irises. I just ended up with some. Here are two or three more varieties I have that show no inflorescence yet. I can't remember whether there are three or four varieties planted in my raised garden. I still have some nice plants in 1-2 gal. pots, but I think they may all be the same as the first one posted.

If it makes fruit in our lifetimes, I'm happy to share this oddity with anyone brave enough to try it!

Ken, irises do have early and later varieties so that probably explains why your others aren't blooming yet. The purple one is gorgeous, and the yellow/blue looks like one of my favorites that my daughter grows in Utah, it's called Edith Wolford.

I just saw some inflorescence stalks on several more. I don't know which they are though. I'll know when they bloom.

Tell me something, Elaine. Three of the petals kind of curl over onto each other rather than being wide open. Do all irises do this? Do they ever just open up?

Not sure if this is what you mean, Ken but tall bearded irises typically have what are known as "standards" and "falls" that give them their typical shape.

So for example, scroll up to your 3 pictures above. In your first picture of the yellow/reddish one, the plain yellow petals are the standards, and the reddish petals with the yellow edges are the falls. The standards never open out, that I can recall.

Siberian iris have standards that stand up like bearded ones, and so do the Dutch iris that you see as cut flowers.

Other types of iris open out flat, like these which are Louisiana Iris. I'm thinking Japanese iris are more flattened like this in shape, too. Wander over to the iris forum, if you want to know more than you ever imagined . . .

They look like glads:).

No, not glads, Gigi. They are irises.

I see what you mean, Elaine. These flowers are doing what irises do, at least this variety. I thought perhaps those (now I know "standard") petals were not opening because of all our cloudy/rainy weather we have had for the last few days.

My little garden is more of drought tolerant plants:
Right now these ones are enjoying the sun and our ever dry conditions:

In that batch, Adenium obesum is getting ready to bloom, perhaps our forecast of hotter days start tomorrow will help it bloom soon:

Euphorbia obesa is also in bloom:

Euphorbia milii:

Other bloomers:
This Big Aeonium is on a swan song bloom:

Aloe gasteria hybrid:

Aeonium arboreum:

Pelargonium hortorum 'Pink Happy Thought'

Pelargonium tricolor:


I also grow some carnivorous plants:
Sarracenia purpurea is very much awake from its winter slumber and has been growing new pitchers:

Sarracenia psittacina is taking its sweet time to wake up from its winter rest:

Nepenthes densiflora (spectabile x spathulata)
this one is grown indoors by our kitchen window

this mexican Pinguicula grows happily indoors upstairs by the north facing window


I am happy Zamia furfuracea endured our winter quite well:


My tillandsias are happy too, making new pups on some:


My favorite caudex forming ones:
Beaucarnea recurvata

Ficus microcarpa 'Ginseng'


Waiting for some epis to bloom...temps go erratic lately, hope they don't blast.

Tarev, you grow a lot of wonderful plants!

Thanks Ursula! I am severely limited by our drought conditions here and our onerous heat when it comes, so got to stick with these ones..thankfully they have their own charm

Tarev, I don't think your Epihyllum buds will blast. Mine are very confused, but even the ones that had early (and poor) blooms are coming along fine now, with the exception of German Empress. (Sorry Ursula...I just can't get the spelling right without looking it up. :shrug:) So far, our winds aren't bad, nor is the heat. Got my fingers crossed... Do you take in your Adenium, to protect it from rain? I am always so tempted to get one, but no place to put it in winter.

Ah, but I have one Epi teki, I just did not take a photo, too sad about it. It was happily forming several buds since Feb, but after our sudden return to low 40's a week or so ago, it was drying up the buds..and the recent strong winds did not help either, so I am resigned that it will just blast. But the other ones on the photo, their bud formation came later, so I guess they got better acclimated with this erratic temp change.

If it ever rains in late Spring to early Fall, I let my Adenium get the rains, its container is very shallow so it drains fast...but once the temps start going lower, like 50F and below, I bring in my Adeniums and have them overwinter by our south facing window, pretty much Adeniums and Plumerias, they have to go in, except Plumeria Celadine, that one has higher tolerance with cold. I only bring in Plumeria Celadine if there is a hard freeze warning. But the Adeniums, I do not take a chance, in it goes when Fall temps drop. During the hot and heat wave days, I give my Adeniums frequent watering, pretty much growing it like a tropical plant, drinks up quite fast and goes really fat.

Great show and interesting plants, Tarev. Thanks for showing us all you grow.

Jim

Thanks Jim..some are mini-me versions of the lovely plants growing in your Florida gardens there.

The only weather problem we are having in Florida is the heat has set in a month earlier than normal. The work I had planned for April is being put off due to these high temps. I may have to hire a company to do the mulching for me. First time I have done that but the older I get the better it sounds.

Jim

Yep, I'm with you Jim. Can't fight the heat. I go out in the morning, and evenings after the breeze comes in. Otherwise, I'm gardening right here, online.

Half an hour planting Caladiums and I was really tempted to jump in the pool . . . that usually doesn't happen until late May.

Oh Caladiums!! I got the bulbs from the ATP contest..have not planted them all yet, I tried some, and delayed the rest..maybe tomorrow I can put the rest in their respective containers.

I have a question with those caladiums, after the initial watering at time of planting, do you wait for the new leaves to show before you water again?

I hired out the mulching last summer, for the first time in my life. I will do my own this year. Crappy, over-priced result!