Hi all
I am so excited today. Of coure as evey single gardener I take a walk in the garden everyday. As I am quite new in growing dwarf irises I am watching their growth. Thought they would be the earlier ones. Howevr today I noticed buds on

Iris germanica Kharput


Aound the plant euporbia of the woods, geranium and primula.

blooming today


My garden help

great photos. Crocus are starting here & north of Boston we are far north of you.

Crocus are gone since February here. They begin to bloom in January. Now the tulips and the irises are on the start, and narcissus are blooming too. Tazetta are fading, some other ones blooming and some others will bloom next. Thank you for your comments Lucy.
I am located South West of France, 200 kms from the Spanish border, around 100 kms from the Atlantic ocean and around 150 kms from the Pyrennees mountains. It is an oceanic climate.

I agree, Clusiana, great garden photos. I was expecting my dwarfs to bloom first also, and many have a starting bloom stalk, but I have a few tall bloom stalks on TB's. I love spring in the garden.

The cat is watching the dwarfs. They do not show any blooming stem and the only TB to get blooming stalk if the one up here. The season is earlier in your place. I have to liook at the map to see exactly where Arkansas is.

So you are close to the beach AND the mountains? And the capital of your region is "Bordeaux"?! Wow!

Its a puzzle. 100 to the sea. 150 to the mountains. 200 to Spain. Hmmmmmm.

My guess will be:

Mont-de-Marsan. I did consider Roquefort, but thought it was too far from the ocean. I assumed driving times rather than flying times (as my mother would say, "As the crow flies").

Ha ha Greg. I lost my compass and the distances are approximative. But you are right the main town in Aquitania (which was once between the British hands) is Bordeaux. One of the two towns I am really in love in France with Paris.;

From Bordeaux I would say you drive in the Pau town direction to go to the Pyrennes and you can go to the seaside either driving to Biaritz which is long way and 150-200 kms (two hours drive) or much closer from Bordeaux you can drive to Arcachon, Piraillan, le Pyla, Lacanau Oc"an (the paradise for surfers as Biariritz is. Google earth is better than I am and if you can to pepare a drive around the place use ViaMichelin
http://www.viamichelin.fr/web/...
Have a nice trip!

Second iris in bud is 'Iris (Juno) Bucharica


Iris Bucharica in bud

That one is opening and will be probably in bloom before I. germanica Kharput!

Iris Juno Bucharica is the first to open its bud. Unfortunately, the flower was damaged. Some hungry slugs were may be around. That was not the only thing to be damaged today.

Hollandica irises are in bud too, then you can notice something very special betwween spuria species and spuria hybrids. The foliage of the hybrids is much shorter.

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Hollandica, hybrid and spuria species

Today in the garden Jacinthus, prunus and peach tree, very rare Victorian primula 'hose-in-the-hose'

Like those colors.

Our primula foliage has appeared so hope the flower stems follow. April & early May is the time for I. pumila & the MDB plants.

Primula (both acaulis and polyanthus) are very good companion plants for irises. They just love to grow bettween the roots. I never saw any other plants enjoying so much to gow together.
Here is a bed with both oldies and modern TB irises,, reticulata irises, cluisiana and other type of tulips, etc.

Just one flower of Katharine Hodgkin in bloom,. We have more plants but they are not showing. The Eye Catcher (white with a purple stripe) planted last fall is blooming nicely.

Does MA means Masachussets Lucy? I am looking at the US map to see where you members are living. I would enjoy to know what is blooming or growing in your gardens and when.
Do you speak of Tulipa 'eye catcher'? (so many plants ae wearing the same name )?
The 'Katharine Hodgkin' photo below were tajen in my garrden on January 25th This spot gets sun in the morning (East West axis). So I think that we have around one month gap for blooming.


photo taken on January 25, 2016)

Clusiana,

MA does mean Massachusetts.

Greg

Thank you Greg!
Upstate New York then and 6 hours less. How many miles away from here I cannot tell
I have edited my post since I had a sudden doubt betwwen Vermont, Connecticut and Massachussets locatiton! I put it in the right place. East and now I know which is its right place on the coast. Thanks again.

Lucy is in a Northern suburb of Boston MA. So she is very close to the coast of the Atlantic ocean.

Distance in miles: Boston to Bordeaux is: 4448 miles.

Time difference is now 5 hours as we in the US "Spring forward" & "Fall back". Thus we have jumped forward.

Massachusetts does border New York state, but that is the Western part of the state. Lucy is on the Eastern part of the state; very far from NY!

We will set the 'summer time' on March 26th 2016 here.

I enjoy discussing nicely as I do with you Greg as that makes me realize that my English has to be seriously brushed up.
I thought and meant by 'upstate NY' that MA was 'up' from NY when you are looking at the map.
Thank you for your very accurate information. 4448 miles is a long way to go!!! It's nice not to be far from the coast.