Flower Power Friday!

Today's featured flower are Irises!

The first photo is the Yellow Siberian Iris.



I have been growing these Irises for a couple of years now.  I have the dark purple version too.  Right now it is budding and will be blooming in the next few days.  At which point I will be out with the camera photographing.  These are pretty hardy plant.  Mine grow in full sun.  These grow in what I would call a clump and it seems to get a little bigger every year.

The next several photos are all German Bearded Irises.

This photo was taken this year.

I just started growing these last year.  I did get a few blooms and that was great.  This year the plants had doubled in size.  They too grow in full sun.  They grow from rhizomes (type of bulb) and you can see the rhizome just on the ground surface which is okay, they like it that way.

You might have seen this abstract of the German Bearded Iris before.  It was the first photo I posted when I started "Flower Power Friday."




This German Bearded Iris was photographed this year too.

I also have a dark blue and a dark red German Bearded Irises.  The blue will be blooming in the next few days and the red looks like probably next week.





In a Daze!

The past few weeks have been really crazy!  Between 3 farmers markets, baking cookies, getting ready for photography shows, yard work, office work, social media, meetings, making travel plans for the end of this month and getting ready for a visit from my sister and my nieces (who I haven't seen in over 5 years) I am slightly overwhelmed!  And I don't even have kids, but I do have dogs and a cat.  I have been trying real hard to organize my time so I can do it all and still have me time.  I am trying to stay 1 step ahead, but it isn't working.  So what am I to do?  Stop....breathe and start again.....slowly.  It can all be done, I just have to figure out how.

 



Okay so I grab the camera and go shooting!  That will help clear my head.  I have been practicing my landscapes.  I took this photo Saturday and I love it!  What do you think of it?

 I also wanted to update you on my backyard birds.  Bird activity has been kinda quiet.  Yesterday I did notice the Eastern Bluebird is back checking out the other birdhouse.  As I had mentioned previously the Tree Swallows have moved into one of the houses (eastern exposure) and they for a long time would chase away any birds that might be interested in the other birdhouse, but yesterday the Eastern Bluebird was back hanging around the house all day and part of today.  The Tree Swallows just watch the Eastern Bluebird as he/she became comfortable in the house.  So the possibility of having a Tree Swallow and Eastern Bluebird fledglings are good.  But as always time will tell.  Hopefully I can get better shots of both birds. 




Well please hang with me as I try to get organized and get back on track.

Have a great day!

Flower Power Friday!

This weeks flower is the beautiful Peony.

 

The Peony is one of my favorite all time flowers.  They have big blooms (3-5 inches) and are beautiful in bouquets or arrangements and some smell fabulous!  These flowers are often used in bridal bouquets.

They come in a variety of colors and blossom types.  I have mostly pinks and whites, but there are also corals, bright pinks, yellows and even a lime green.  Their blossom types a varied too, from double blooms, singles, semi-doubles and one they call the bomb, it is a single bloom with a mini double in the center.  If you are a Peony lover check out Klehm's Song Sparrow Perennials.  They have a huge selection of Peonies and a ton of information.



Peonies are relatively easy to grow.  The best time to plant or transplant Peonies are in the Fall.  They well reseed themselves if you don't deadhead the flowers.  Which was a surprise to me.  I didn't deadhead one year and the next year I had dozens of new peonies.  They won't flower for a year or two.  In fact this year out of those first dozen, the few that I transplanted are showing buds this year.  I am curious to see what color and blossom types I will get.  They like sunny to partial sunny areas.  They do better is cooler climates.  Peonies don't do will in heat and will diminish with too much rain.  Most Peonies will need support.  The flowers makes them very top heavy and will drop to the ground.  There are Peony hoops that can be bought at any garden center.  Peonies are also deer resistant!

 

Peonies look beautiful in almost any location in your garden, they also make a great border!

Have a great weekend!  Happy gardening!