Bonnie, that is absolutely delightful! You've got me considering using containers for the little ones. They perform well in the ground here but its sometimes tough to keep the space open for them, which I'm sure is due to my penchant for crowding

It's going to be 90 here tomorrow. I'm afraid my blooms will exhaust themselves too quickly.

I'm sorry so many of you have the opposite issue. It's hard to have the winter weather so late in the year. and the crazy weather shifts you are experiencing (at least Tom and Arlyn) would be so very hard on all the plants!

It is sad to be in the garden with irises from Tom's and Arlyn's gardens blooming and to know they are having winter.

Neal, use big deep containers and not dark colored ones that get hot in the sun. Also, the little guys bloom well without as much sun as the big guys do so you have options of where to put the containers. When I use a galvanized wash tub I do not put the holes in the bottom. I put them about an inch up on the sides. It is easier to put the holes in the sides for some reason and the bottom then acts like a tray. It is not too wet as the water is taken up quickly in this climate. Wheelbarrows just are not deep enough so I am growing trailing lantana in them. The lantana has to be treated like an annual here unless we have a mild winter and I do not remove the leaves.

Yeah, but the thought that keeps me from going nuts is that ours will still be going after yours are done Old Mother Nature just loves to play tricks on us gardeners !!

I am counting on that Arlyn. As mine go 'away' for a year I will be taking a computer tour of your gardens. And when I am stuck indoors due to the heat you will have fresh blooms to report to keep my spirits up.

Bonnie, if the containers aren't deep enough are they subject to cold damage? I'd wondered about growing them in wheelbarrows. I have noticed they will thrive in areas too shady for later bloomers. I think they get the sun they need before the trees leaf out. I like using the little guys around tree roots- they look so cute there and don't mind the dryness. I've got several buds on a little clump at the base of a big silver maple that are about to put on a darling show!

One bed is MDBs because they will bloom before the trees get leaves as well.

Neal, I have noticed that plants in containers on stands or tables get much colder than the ones that are sitting on the ground. Perhaps the ground keeps them warmer. Wheelbarrows get really cold. I do have some irises growing in one but they must be watered as their roots cannot go deep into the earth for moisture.

A week ago I took a photo of Plicutie, a little SDB, and it was the first one on this thread. This afternoon I took another of it.

SDB Plicutie



This one has been going strong for a week. I took a photo of the buds but it was too blurry to post. The buds are white with purple rings swirling up them. The buds are as lovely as the flower.

IB Hagar's Helmet, Hooker Nichols, 1076, 77




This is a little IB that I grow with SDB's due to its height in my garden.

SDB He's A Rebel, Larry Lauer, 2004

Bonnie, some nice blooms to cheer me up on a cold rainy morning. Arlyln is right, we get to see your blooms now, and know that we will get to see ours later.

It is always a little sad, Tom, when my bloom season is winding down. I guess that is why I look forward to acquiring new ones. It seems to extend the iris planning/blooming/growing season. The photos from your gardens seems to extend the spring blooms for me. smiles......

It is a let down when the season ends. I give a lot of extra attention to the "very late" TBs when I'm ordering irises thinking that I can extend the season a bit more. I'm just a bit too far North for the re-bloomers to do well here. Arlyn seems to have done well with them though and he's only an hour and a half South of me.

SDB Leopard Print, Thomas Johnson, 2006




Some year this little iris has many spots and freckles and some years it just has its beautiful colors without its freckles.

Mine usually gets the little spots on the later blooms. The first ones don't always get them.

The ones that rebloom in cooler zones do not re well here if at all. It is sad to wait for a rebloom stalk only to see a bloom open and curl up just after noon in our heat. Even though I have rebloomers it is quite a chore to keep them from going dormant through our heat in order for them to rebloom. If I find a few, like Daughter Of Stars and Barn Dance, that rebloom well here I will stick to them and see if I can get some clumps going here and there. Debra has a pink that reblooms for her and I want to try that one. There is nothing like a spring garden with everything waking up and all the irises coming to life.

IB Jangles, Barry Blyth, 2000




A little intermediate with some really intense colors this spring. I hope all the blooms that will soon open on this one are just as vivid.

SDB Teagan, Donald Spoon, 2008, 09



This is one of my favorite SDB's in the garden. The color is very pure blue and crisp white with gold in the heart of the bloom. It is a reliable bloomer. Tall for a SDB but that is good as it calls from across the garden. Elegant SDB

IB Sue Zee, Sterling Innerst, 1995, 96



It is hard for me to capture most of the loveliness of this bloom. It is an IB that is well worth viewing up close.