Thursday, May 30, 2013

Iris Combinations for May

A pale yellow iris with pale pink neighbors by our backyard gate.
I am loving our bearded iris this spring! They had a dry, hot summer last year, and so they are rewarding us with some beautiful flowers in our zone 5, Pennsylvania garden.

The irises by the back gate (above) were a gift from some family friends a few years ago; we invited them to dinner and they arrived with a trunk full of plants! After getting settled over the past two years, growing roots and cooking in the heat, they finally revealed their flower color this past week. I am enchanted by their pale yellow, sweetly scented blooms. And the combination here could not be nicer: pale pink dame's rockets (Hesperis matronalis) and Granny's bonnet-type columbine (Aquilegia).


Pale yellow iris surrounded with the airy foliage of meadow rue (Thalictrum delavayi 'Splendide' ).
Another pretty combination is in the square planting area at the back of our house. This old iris variety is bright canary yellow with maroon falls, and it goes surprisingly well with the hot pink flowers of the hardy Geranium 'Bevan's Variety'.
View of both of these pretty combinations from our sidewalk looking to the fence.
Bearded iris have a stateliness about them that other irises do not. Perhaps it is there three-foot stems stretching up. The blues have always been my favorite, but these pale yellow are really growing on me. :)

In my time growing plants in close proximity in order to have a succession of blooms, there are a few that have shown that they are not so fond of being smashed together. Bearded irises are one of them, as they like to have their rhizomes out in the sun. And yet, this year they are showing that they can still put on a good show with their neighbors. It just goes to show that you can always learn something new about the plants in your garden!

See more of our small, corner lot... also called Gilmore Gardens.

12 comments:

  1. You certainly have an eye for color combos! I need think more of color combos when planting my garden. I really like your yellow irises too. My irises are purple and they were amazing but the bloom time was so short.

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    1. Bearded irises do bloom for a short time. At Giverny, Monet's garden, he planted long time rows of them to bloom with self-seeding plants simultaneously. See a photo of it on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/pin/147915168984379798/

      Sometimes the most beautiful things in the garden are ethereal!
      ~Julie

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  2. Your Iris are beautiful and complement their neighbours. We have a few bearded iris, but they don't really like our heavy clay, others in the iris family like it more!

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  3. There are so many lovely bearded Irises, there's bound to be some that suit your colour scheme. I posted several times earlier this month if you want to see some different varieties. I try to give mine some space but in our heat they don't mind other plants fairly close. Christina

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  4. I love the soft colors on the irises in the first and last photos, and your combinations have a pleasing mix of contrast and unity.

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  5. Thanks all! They were too pretty not to share.
    ~Julie

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  6. I love Iris! I agree about those pale yellow ones...I actually just had an Iris that looks exactly the same bloom for the first year in my garden...which is a surprise, since we've lived here for almost 4 years now!

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  7. Lovely pale yellow Iris and an extraordinary beautiful soft combination with the columbines. I like the bright coloured also very much. I am still waiting on my Irises, but certainly will not have so many blooms.

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  8. That trio of plants does look pretty mouthwatering. I am addicted to bearded irises.

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  9. What beauties! I love iris. The pale yellow iris paired with light pink is a great color combination. This weekend I am traveling to northern Michigan to visit an iris farm. I can't wait! Seeing your beautiful photos makes me even more excited for my trip.
    Susan

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  10. Gorgeous combos...I adore iris and am having a ball watching all of them grow.

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  11. Lovely irises - I especially like that pale yellow one with the soft pink. The bearded irises are blooming like crazy this year up here as well. I don't have any, but do enjoy them in other people's gardens!

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