a little update on Blue Doll



Perhaps open by Sunday?

Yesterday I had one trying to open in a thunderstorm. Gizmo the Gremlin introduced by Darlene Pinegar in 1999. So many people have this little iris it must be really hardy.

before the thunderstorm


It opened during the night and I found it mostly undamaged this morning

Amazing that we both had Gizmo bloom at the same time!

If it is warm today I bet Blue Doll opens tomorrow. That bud looks ready!

I hope so, Leslie.

Our database shows 18 people that grow little Gizmo. It would be interesting to know when it blooms for everyone.

Gief Gizmo!!

snow is insolation. it usually doesn't bother irises. John better start checking his pumilas as some can open in March. I had better get out my garden log & see who the early birds are.

Yes, a blanket of snow would help the short ones for sure. This is just March 10 and I have so many of the taller ones with stalks half way up that they may all get frozen. They should have know better..... oh well, maybe they did not have a calendar.

The snow won't last here long enough to insulate the iris from the following nights of freezing temps. Sure wish they would hold off but more keep popping out stalks.

We will have freezing temps all week starting tomorrow. Those poor plants will not know what is going on. I am more worried about the flowering fruit trees and my hyacinths than the iris. They are used to the cold and mine have not sent up any stalks. I do have tulips blooming already which is really early.

Jane, my Hosta's are a foot high..... they will freeze for sure. I have small fruit on my plum trees and I don't know what will happen to them.

Some of my hyacinths are through so I don't worry about them too much. Here is a photo today of a TB in front of tulips.



Gardeners have to be able to take brutal weather, plagues of eating insects, diseases and loss in stride. So many of my taller irises already have tall bloom stalks. I may only have damaged blooms out of them. :shrug:

That is why we need many, many irises. We need ones that bloom early and late. We need so many that there is no way we can get sad during bloom season.

Pretttttyyyy flowers, Bonnie.

We all need many Irises so we won't be sad

So many lovely photos, Bonnie. Thanks for sharing.
Sorry to hear about the frost issues. Gardening can be though, with many threats, that's for sure.

Frank Jones introduced MTB Lady Emma in 1986. This is a surprise bloom. I planted this little iris last summer and it promptly bloomed. I did not think it would bloom again this spring. I hope it continues to be a reliable bloomer.

(I cleared the leaves from this area earlier this year, these have fallen since then )

Oh! I see a Pretty Kitty too!

That would be Ninja 2.0. Here he is with Fraidy Cat.



I could not get them to show their faces. They were both afraid that the other was going to get a treat. LOL

And here is little MDB Blue Doll.




I brought the pot in last night.... just in case and it opened today. Have you ever seen a sweeter little flower?

Oh gosh how little and pretty! I didn't even realize how small the flower was unail your hand was in the picture. Adorable!!

Liz, I try to put something in the photo, like the quarter, to give some size perspective when a bloom is very small. Nothing works as well as a hand. I have another MDB called India Ink that is supposed to have a tiny bloom. It is a spoon and has a bloom stalk on it. It will be the first time it blooms for me.

Hope to see it, Bonnie!