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Irises blooming in the Easter garden

A few weeks ago, I couldn’t stop complaining about the lack of blooms on my various irises.

It seemed that everywhere I looked my garden blogging friends were showing off their frilly friends.

And I was having a serious case of bloom envy.

Not to mention the nagging doubts about my gardening ability.

Should I be doing something different?

Did I need to fertilize them?

Did I plant them in the wrong places?

Should they be divided (even those they are all relatively new and small clumps)?

But a few days ago, I was ecstatic to discover several of my irises blooming away.

This pale lavender iris is a passalong from Pam at Digging — she calls it Shoshona’s Iris. I love the beautiful color.

Then the interesting gold and brown iris bloomed the next day.

While it’s planted close to my Louisiana Iris ‘Professor Neil,’ which is a deep maroon with gold, they weren’t both blooming at the same time this week.

Maybe I can ask them to do that for me when the next ones bloom!

Happy Easter!

And then there were more!

Several more Professor Neil irises opened up for me today, eliciting squeals of delight.

(Good thing no one else was in the garden to hear me!)

I think I got better color on these. They are such a warm, plum-like, burgundy-color that I really can’t describe them.

Suffice it to say that they looks so rich and velvet-y that I can’t get enough of them.

That’s why I am gushing about them and why they are getting two posts in as many days.

Guess it’s no secret who my favorites are in the garden, is it? But then, we all have favorites, don’t we?

And disappointments.

Like this next iris.

This is supposed to be a vibrant tall bearded iris called “Ocelot.” If you look at this link to Dave’s Garden, you will see it has a rich buttery color, combined with a royal purple.

Sadly, that is NOT what bloomed in my garden today. I was so careful to choose the iris colors in this bed, and then I’m foiled again by Mother Nature. Sigh.

It’s pretty and delicate, but it’s just a little too subtle to be anywhere in the neighborhood of the engaging Professor Neil, don’t you think?

Maybe it’s our conditions – heat, drought, never-ending rain and then colder than you can imagine for Central Texas. Hmmm… Mother Nature again.

Maybe it’s my soil. Black clay. Hmmm…Mother Nature.

So, has Mother Nature foiled your garden color schemes, too? Who do we see about this?!

I want to know where to file my complaint!

irises

Irises blooming in the Easter garden

And then there were more!

Escape in the garden