My Iris are just astounding this year. A friend told me that if I put some alfalfa around them in the fall, they would bloom heavier this Spring, and she was right!
\nI bought a bag of alfalfa pellets and scattered them around the corms. I was probably a bit heavy-handed, but the plants seem to have done well. It doesn’t seem to matter which form of alfalfa you use, but the pellets were the tidiest for our gardens.
\nI plan to take pictures of the gardens with my trusty disposable camera this week. When the pictures have been developed, I’ll post a few here. At least you’ll be able to see the big picture.
\nI have one deep purple iris that has done poorly for the past three years. Last year I had one bloom stalk on the plant and the dog snapped it off when he tumbled into the plant. This year, I think there may be six bloom stalks, and I can’t wait to have them open! Some of my newer iris are blooming this year, too. Usually I have good luck with blooms the first full season, but I moved these, and then they were heaved out of the ground with the freeze and thaw.
\nIt looks like garnet, or burgundy is my favorite color for iris, but we have yellow, bronze, purple, and blue varieties getting ready to open. One of the most beautiful pale varieties is a delicate ruffled peach called “Infinite Grace.”
\nI was going to dig up and dispose of a pale lavender iris this year, but I may save a few pieces of it and plant it where it will contrast those stronger colors.
\nYup, I’m iris happy. Come visit me this time of year, when my gardens are at their best!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My Iris are just astounding this year. A friend told me that if I put some alfalfa around them in the fall, they would bloom heavier this Spring, and she was right! I bought a bag of alfalfa pellets and … Continue reading