Presby Memorial Iris Garden #6

It has been a few days since I've visited my own garden.  We have been having a nice mix of both rain and sun, so everything should be doing fine unless there has been another pest outbreak.  I looked up the worm that ate all my lettuce and it seems I have been a victim of cabbage loopers.  Hopefully they haven't found the broccoli!

Presby Memorial Iris Garden #5



While these iris thrive, my own garden has been struggling all season with various pest invasions.  Over Memorial Day Weekend, bright green worms ate ALL of my lettuce, right down to the ground.  Another worm has been attacking my beet greens.  Something ate the rest of the ripening strawberries.  Aphids have shown up on the flowers, broccoli, and even on the top of one carrot.  Fortunately nothing has touched the tomatoes, cucumbers, or pepper.  I also have some peas that have decided to grow.  We'll see what happens but this may turn out to be a flower year.

Presby Memorial Iris Garden #4

Burgundy

Black

Peach

Fuschia

Mauve

Garden Break

A beautiful miniature orange rose bloomed last week.

I love the color of these iris in the Brunswick garden.

I grew a strawberry!

Presby Memorial Iris Garden #3

This trio is too pretty!  I love the examples with the frilly edges!

Presby Memorial Iris Garden #2

The plantings are arranged by size and year. They have varieties as old as the 1500's and varieties as small as a pansy. The preceding were all variations on rusty purple and yellow. Without knowing anything about iris, I would guess that the original flower must have been either purple or yellow and more likely purple.

Presby Memorial Iris Garden

We visited the garden on Friday before dusk. They have been busy propagating and perpetuating iris varieties since 1927 in Montclair, NJ. The gardens are named in honor of Frank H Presby, a horticulturalist and founder of The American Iris Society. This will be the first post of many, showcasing the beautiful, unusual, and just plain silly varieties of iris that are grown in the gardens.

Spring Glory

There is an abundance of blooms in the garden right now.  It seems that the roses are very happy this year.  I love the pink flowers in the third image but am not sure what they are.  The peonies are just beginning to open and the crazy variety with the tassel center is a showy one, even by peony standards.  Someone commented that he loves walking by the garden this time of year.  It is a beautiful break from all the concrete and brick.

Weeds of Beauty, etc.

I spotted this striking weed growing in a parking lot.  It looks like a cross between a daisy and a thistle. If it wasn't behind a locked gate, I might have dug it up to take home.  I love the ornamental thistles that are showing up more and more in the botanical gardens and nurseries.  This pointy pop of yellow could be the next big trend in the garden.

The radish crop is almost complete.  Rather than plant more, I'm waiting for my bush beans to sprout.  The broccoli is taking its time and is soon to be surpassed by the lettuce mix.  I've already begun adding beet greens to our salads and am anxious to stop adding lettuce to the weekly grocery list.  Doesn't it feel good to bring homegrown food to the table?

Radishes and a Garden Cat

It's been chilly the past few days and everything in the garden is enjoying the more seasonal weather. The broccoli transplants I put in last week are doing fine and the lettuce mix is leafing out nicely. The radishes are a success this year and are a welcome first crop. I'm also seeing quite a few volunteer sunflowers that I'll need to move when the moon phase is right (I'm still trying to "garden by the moon"). There are so many baby sunflowers popping up that I'm not sure where I can plant the mix I bought from Pinetree.

Cherry Belle Radishes

How does your garden grow?

Cute garden kitties guard the tomato cages and make me smile!