Fall Flicker ?

From my kitchen window, I've been enjoying the color of the Virginia creeper.

Then I heard some rustling, and saw a bird eating the berries....

I'm guessing it's a flicker of some type. But I don't know a lot about birds!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday -check it out!

Iris Week wrap up - 'Dear Dorothy' blooms

"Dear Dorothy" was a bonus iris from Blue J Iris.

I've ordered irises from them more than once, and always been pleased.

It's one of those 'too many colors' for my taste, but not bad, for a freebie.

Anytime an iris has brown, tan or copper listed as colors, I am a bit wary.

I have some yellow/brown irises that I love some days and hate on others (don't tell them).

Blue J describes Dear Dorothy as a bi-color with yellow-orange selfs (upper petals) and light powder purple (or almost brown!) falls with yellow orange edges and hafts

This closeup shows the light purple falls and yellow beard. Nice. Almost rainbow-colored in the range of colors. And, of course, 'free' is always nice.

Iris Week - Mystery Theatre, featuring 'Copper Lustre'

One of my new irises is "Copper Lustre."

It is a Dykes medal winner (1938),

with delicate coppery-pink standards and darker falls with veining and a yellow-orange beard.

Here is what Copper Lustre is supposed to look like.

Then we come to what I have in my garden, bought with the understanding that this is supposed to be a copper /pink combo:

You can see we are talking about something that is definitely NOT copper-y. Wine? yes. Purple-red? yes. but copper? no. So now I wonder what this lovely iris is called? Maybe I should just save some time and rename it myself.

Any suggestions?

Iris Week- lovin' the blues

Irises make me happy, so lovin' the blues is more accurate than singing the blues today.

This is a closeup of Chico Maid, a tall bearded iris.

You can see the beautiful blue beard with a bit of bronze.

Chico maid again. It is such a beautiful color and the blue beard just adds to the thrill for me.

unnamed pale blue

This iris is a lovely deep, periwinkle blue that's blooming in several spots in the yard today.

Iris Week - Yellow beauty, big and small

Looks like Mama iris and babies, doesn't it?

The tall yellow ones are named "New Moon," and are a rich lemony color.

The 'babies' are a smaller variety, and I don't have the name for them. My yellow bed is getting crowded, I'll have to do some thinning when my iris get done blooming.

GBB Day for June 2011

One of the highlights of spring is the dogwood blooming. Here in hot , dry Utah, I don't remember when the dogwood has bloomed this late before. We've had a very cool and wet spring.

The yellow splotches on the leaves are the pine pollen from our Austrian pines.

Also blooming: mullein, IRIS!!!!!, allium, the last of the tulips, perennial geranium, thyme, vinca, IRIS!!!, and

did I mention, IRIS?

This is a 'space ager,' which I featured a few years ago.

Be sure to head over to May Dreams Gardens to see everyone's blooms today!

Iris Week - too many to count

Too many to count -

This bed is from some beauties I got from a wonderful friend. She had to clear them out of her yard, and so now I have them.

Lucky me.

Would love to see your irises??? give me a link in comments!

Yep, It's time for Iris Week! - one more reason to love irises

DH brought these irises home in a plastic shopping bag,

and they sat there for about a month. Then I noticed they were budding, then blooming.

Gotta love a tough plant that won't give up.

More irises tomorrow!

GBB day for March 2011 !

Back! I saw these little croci out the kitchen window today, and thought I'd add my part for Garden Blogger's Bloom day.

Happy Spring to all!