Friday, May 31, 2013

When Iris Blooms are Smiling!

I was happy to see Mom's iris all doing really well this year.  Here's the second one to bloom ...
 
 
I had been hoping to have a few of her old-fashioned varieties that she transplanted from her mother, which were rusty browns.  Unfortunately, it would appear that all the buds on these iris are purple.  Which is still nice, I just had my fingers crossed ... you know how it is ;)
 
One of my favourite flowers is the columbine ... and in particular, this larger pink and white variety.  I don't keep track of the exact names of the flowers, so you'll have to excuse me there.  Lately, all I seem to find popping up in my garden have been the tiny dwarf flowers in columbine (and they pop up everywhere!), but then this larger flower appeared along the back fence ... surprise!!


Below is one of the dwarf columbine flowers, which are really quite tiny and I'm not that fond of them.  Up close in the macro setting of the camera they look quite pretty, but unless you want to carry a magnifying glass around the garden with you, it's difficult to see their charms ...
 

... especially when their tiny heads hang upside down and you have to lie on the ground to get a good shot!
 


I recently purchased two hens & chicks plants as I wanted to try growing one in the crevice of a small limestone rock I have in the garden.  Here in Ontario there is a lot of limestone, and quite a few limestone quarries (one of which was just down the road from where I grew up in Lowville).  The Niagara Escarpment is all limestone rock and it's a very craggy rock that has lots of pits and hollows, and the escarpment is full of interesting caves to crawl into (I even know where there's an underground "lake" ... really just a small pool of water, but underground! ... I'm not even sure there is still water there after many, many years).  I spent a lot of years hiking the Bruce Trail which runs the length of the escarpment, and is a real treasure to the area.  If you're ever in this part of the province, be sure to check it out. 
 
Back to present day ... on my street there are a couple of old couples that have these big rocks in their front yards with hens & chicks growing right on top of the rocks, and I thought I'd like to try that and immediately thought of the small chunk of limestone I have. 
 
 
 So I pushed the big fat hen gently into the crevice, and have carefully watered it every day to keep it from drying out (maybe misting would be better so that I don't wash away the dirt before the roots have established themselves). 
 
 
 
Now I just have to sit back and watch and wait.  And wait.  And wait.  I guess I won't really know if this is working until next year.  The final test ... will it survive the winter?! 
Gardening can be so slow, can't it?!

Thanks for stopping by!
 
Wendy
 
Linking up with Fishtail Cottage and her Cottage Garden Party #5
 
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31 comments:

  1. Your flowers are beautiful. I think it's worth a try with the hens and chicks on the rock; my mom has a planter built of rocks around the base of a tree, and she's been growing hens and chicks on them for years. I love the look of it. I hope yours are successful!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer ... I like a little experimentation every so often. Your mom's planter sounds really nice.

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  2. Oh that made me laugh - I've been lying down in awkward positions in mum and dads garden this afternoon trying to get some decent shots for them - they brought my coffee out then shrieked as they thought I'd had an accident! That little blue plant looks like another form of columbine - very pretty blue. Keeping my fingers crossed for Mrs Hen x Jane

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    1. All in the name of getting a good photo ;) You need a new saying on your t-shirt "I'm OK, just taking a photo". That little blue flower IS a columbine ... the dwarf flower variety.

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  3. Hi Wendy
    A couple down the street have hens and chicks growing out of a big rock on their front lawn and they seem to come back after winter.
    I like the big pink columbine that showed up; any small ones I've grown have been short lived.
    Judith

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    1. I just thought they looked so cool with apparently no dirt under the plant (probably just mulch from rotting bits of the hens). I have the opposite luck with the columbine and the tiny ones are spreading like wildfire!

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  4. Wendy, I think your iris is gorgeous ~ I was really hoping you would have the ones you were hoping for. I have only one iris blossom left and I have cut back all the spent stems. It was a spectacular wave of color this year but it went by quick. I like that you are trying out something new with the hens and chicks and the limestone. It is going to add a little extra interest in your yard once it is established.

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    1. I think my sister might actually have some of the old-fashioned iris from Mom, but not sure if she would consider splitting one for me. I've not heard of cutting the stems back ... is this good for the plant in some way? I like the little henny idea too and I'm pretty sure it's going to work :)

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  5. Yes it can be so slow but your blooms are just outstanding! I love Columbine but have yet to plant any in my garden...your pictures make me want to run to the nursery right now! And your Irises are so pretty Wendy! As for the Hens and Chicks they look just so cool with the stone! I am a huge fan of rocks in the garden and these just look so fantastic! Way to go!! I can't wait to see more of your garden friend!! Keep the pictures coming!!!

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    1. Thanks Nicole, I'm glad you're enjoying the photos :) And definitely run right out and get yourself some columbine!! (I just read that if you deadhead them, they die out in about 3 years ... I don't deadhead them, and that would be why I have so many of the tiny variety.)

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  6. so what is that pink flower?i mean what is it's name?

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    1. It's a columbine, and I've now added a link on the name if you want to check out how to grow them.

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  7. Succulents are about the only thing here that do manage to make it through our very hot summers. Some people have much greener thumbs than me and manage to take clippings and have plants a plenty. I manage to keep the ones I have alive and that's about it. The columbines are so very pretty. Anything that blooms, even weeds, look good to me. :) Best wishes, Tammy

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    1. I have a garden around my patio that gets very hot in summer and that's the one garden that I always have trouble with. I have better luck with part-shade flowers. You always show such towering flowers (or maybe they're tall bushes), which are very awe inspiring! Have a good weekend Tammy :)

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  8. Your Iris is so pretty and reminds me of my dear mother. She loved Iris and had them growing everywhere. Best of luck with the hen and chicks - I grow them in watery Washington and they seem to do well as long as they are well drained and in the sun. It will look so pretty when they spread. xx

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Karen! All the iris I have are from my mom too. She gave me some, and then I dug up all that I could find in her garden when she passed away. They're such a gorgeous flower, so it's no wonder our mom's loved them ;) The hen is in full sun and in a crevice of the rock, rather than a hollow, so I think it'll stay well drained. Happy weekend to you!

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  9. Beautiful blooms! That iris is very impressive! :) x

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  10. Yes, gardening IS slow. And so very satisfying. Your flower shots are beautiful. And I hear ya on the lying down on the ground thing!

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    1. It IS satisfying isn't it? And you get rewarded for all your patience :)

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  11. always so fun to see what you are sharing! love the first photo of the iris! thanks for linking up to Fishtail Cottage's Garden party! hope you are having a great weekend! xoox, tracie

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    1. Thanks Tracie, I'm glad you stopped in! The weekend was a wet one, but back to fluffy clouds and sunshine today :)

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  12. The flowers in your garden are just beautiful Wendy! It's always nice to get a "flower" fix from those in the northern hemisphere when we are entering Winter with not much to show. Mel x

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    1. Oh Mel, I felt the same way in our Fall! It's fun getting a glimpse from far flung places isn't it? The best part of blogging ;)

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  13. The iris is gorgeous, my garden is full of columbine or aquilegia as I call them and coincidentally I popped out and took pictures of them in the early morning sunshine today. They are such shy creatures with their bowed heads but so pretty. Fingers crossed that the hen and chicks will feel at home ... Sarah x

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    1. Hi Sarah, now don't forget that the best shots of your aquilegia will be captured looking up at them ... so don't be embarrassed, down you get on the ground with the camera (just ignore the smart comments thrown to you by the nosy neighbours!!) My little henny is doing well so far :)

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  14. Lovely plants and pics Wendy! I hope the hens and chicks take! Xx

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  15. Love your columbines. I have wild ones around my house and cottage - quite a deep red, but the flower is fairly tiny - your pink ones are gorgeous!

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    1. I love the wild columbines too, but have never come across any at my garden centre.

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  16. Your garden is coming along beautifully, Wendy, lovely photos :) The iris is gorgeous, and I love the columbines, so pretty. The columbines are just starting to bloom in my garden too.
    Good luck with your new hens and chick plant, I hope it will do well :)

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

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