Thursday, June 05, 2014

shrubbery.





I love irises.  These are in our yard.  I didn't plant them.  If I had planted them they would be purple.
But, you know...beggars can't be choosers.  So thank you past owner for this spring surprise.  They are especially nice this year.
Our town has lost a particular shrub due to the harsh winter.  I see dead, rust colored bushes all around the area.  Now.  I am speculating.  I am not an expert on shrubs.  But my common sense tells me that the ground froze the roots of this particular type of plant last winter.  But the iris bulbs.  They must not mind being frozen.  They are right there close to the surface.

This is just fascinating.

haha

In which I blab about something I know nothing about.

But those flowers are gorgeous.
So there you go.


Oh!  It's throw back Thursday.

Here.

20080925_9463-2

Katie's first month at Blessed Sacrament.
~2007

SWEET!


Encourage one another,
Donna






20 comments:

  1. I don't know if I've ever seen yellow irises before, Donna. They are beautiful! We do have a handful of purple ones that come up in our yard every year.

    I'm actually amazed that the hard winter didn't affect things as much as I thought they would around here. Everything at home seems to be thriving again. I do have some bushes/shrubs/whatever they are? at work that are very rusty looking. I'm not sure they are going to ever green up again. Guess the owners of the building will have to decide what to do with the poor things.

    Off to plant my garden today! Hope the skeeters don't carry me off!

    Blessings,
    Tammy ~@~

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  2. She looks exactly the same. ;)

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  3. Amy J in WI9:34 AM

    Your irises are very pretty, Donna! I am eagerly awaiting the blooming of my pink peonies -- my favorite flower in our back yard. Usually, we are gone on vacation when they bloom...but not this year :).

    We have some of those brown bushes in our front yard. Besides those, we lost about 5 or 6 other plants due to the harsh, harsh, eternal, very long winter. Do I sound bitter?

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  4. When you force bulbs you freeze them, so this makes sense. Maybe you know more than you think, Donna Elsie (-:

    We had bright yellow iris in our yard growing up, along with bright purple. I love them. The ones you have are extra pretty; I love the dark petals in contrast to the yellow. We now have some white and light purple ones called Queen Dorothy Iris (or maybe that is just what we call them, since my step-mother Dorothy is the one who gave them to us!)

    Throw Back Thursday Katie is as cute as can be. Seems like yesterday that she went to school!

    Di

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  5. Anonymous9:56 AM

    Love, love, love irises. My favorites are purple, too. I'm wearing purple iris earrings today. I loved seeing your irises, Donna. I always feel joy when unexpected beauty pops up in the yard or where I don't expect it. Yesterday evening, as I walked at the beach, little purple and yellow flowers carpeted areas along the sand--unanticipated and appreciated by me.

    hmbalison

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    1. I was hoping you would see this post, Alison. I think of you each and every time I see my iris blooming -- they are Your flower in my mind (-:

      Di

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  6. Yeah, if we want our bulbs to come back the following year, we have to dig them up and put them in the freezer. That's why you don't see irises or tulips "in the wild." They're typically in pots!

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    1. My irises come up every year all by themselves. Guess there is something good about Pennsylvania winters!

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  7. There is a big garden in Zurich that I miss visiting because there is a fabulous planting of iris from ALL over in a marvelous variety of colors. Even peach that have a spicy scent :-)

    Iris do well in Anchorage, Alaska so that's sayin something!!

    BTW, little Katie is totes adorbs!!!

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  8. Anonymous11:03 AM

    Little Katie and her little friends with their cute pose --- so cute! You went and blinked and now she's graduated!!

    It's so uplifting to see everything blooming and thriving after the winter we had. :)

    Mary Z

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  9. Anonymous11:09 AM

    The language of flowers is fascinating to me and iris are not only beautiful, but also stand for message. Iris as I know you all probably know was the messenger of the ancient Greek gods and she appeared to the mortals on earth in the form of a rainbow. Must be why there are so many pretty colors of iris around. ;-) Your yellow ones are beautiful and Katie and her friends from 2007 are delightful. love and prayers, jep

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  10. Oh, that picture does something to my heart.

    My mama planted irises next to our carport in my childhood home. She always allowed us to pick a few for our teachers in the spring. I love the smell of irises. It takes me back to grade school.

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  11. I see that Katie's first month at that school she wore the shortest shorts of those girls! You ARE a rebel mom!!!! Adorable pic! Memories that melt my heart!

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  12. Dont give up on those bushes just yet. Here in knoxville some are beginning to get green leaves...my landscape guy tried snapping a branch off, it blended but didn't snap...he said give it time. It is coming back. Sweet little girls.

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  13. We have an Iris Garden locally, it's very nice to go on Mother's Day. I would love to share pics with you, maybe I'll load them to pinterest I know I follow you there and I think I can tag you :) Or I could email them.

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  14. Anonymous1:54 PM

    I LOVE your musings, Donna. I get back from lunch many days, and turn on my computer at work, and SO often laugh out loud, shed a tear, or do a "Hey! I get that!!".

    We have "foster" irises in our yard in Farnham, too - previous owner planted them, and they just came up. Yellow, too. I.do.not.like.yellow.flowers said Sam I am... But, they're great cuz they're labor-free! Happy day to you, Donna! And PLEASE make time stand still - Katie is blowing through these years - as are you grandchildren!!

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  15. ok I put them on pinterest but have no idea how to get them to you on there lol! I am Melzie Little on pinterest and they are under "Nature is Outstanding" and are labled "Matthews Iris Gardens, Randles, MO I hope you will take a look :)

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    1. Thank you. I will go find you. I was telling Katie when I was in Columbia Missouri the irises were always up by may 15th when school was out. Such a diverse plant. Does well in Alaska AND the south!

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  16. Being an army wife has some sweet surprises. We move every 2 years or so. Each time we move we get to discover a new climate, yard, and the things growing there. We moved to Kansas last summer and were delighted this spring when we found daffodils and quince (shrubs with beautiful orangey red blooms). I always try to leave something behind for the next person. This fall I want to plant a peony and some more bulbs, iris, tulips, and hyacinths. There were some purple irises in my neighborhood that smelled like grape koolaid, I was fascinated by them. We had one hydrangea and we put in 2 more, they are starting to bloom now. I think they will all be pink.

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  17. we had evergreen bushes die here. lots of them. supposedly because of the extra dry and cold (and windy) winter. most plants don't need to take in as moisture during the winter that is why they shed their leaves... but evergreens still need moisture. i heard that many died this year since the winter was so dry and cold here. the branches and needles didn't get all the moisture they needed to protect them from the wind and cold. they drew all the water they could from the ground, not leaving enough to allow them to make it through the spring ; it wasn't enough to save them.

    love,
    lady with a dead bush we now have to dig up in 90 degree heat and 75 percent humidity

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