Time for irises

Just before the Thanksgiving weekend, I got an order from Vesey's bulbs. I always feel such urgency to get everything planted, but I am sure that things will last a few days or a week till I get around to them.

Since we had company over the weekend, with 29 people for a Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday (great time and wonderful to see everyone), the plants would have to wait.

Yesterday, I enlisted the help of 7 year old Isaac and 5 year old Sarah to dig out a new bed for some bulbs. What we actually did was dig out a hole into which we then rolled this 300 pound rock. We had asked the guy who was preparing the lot next door if we could have one of the rocks that was dug up during their digging. He kindly brought the rock over and dumped it into a spot near a planned bed. But it landed wrong side up, in my opinion, and I wanted to roll it over. My husband strongly advised that I have a hole ready for it or it would roll on back over into the lot and there would be no moving it then.

Voila!  Isaac and Sarah were thrilled when we gave it the old heave-ho and over rolled the big boulder right into the hole we had dug for it.

                                      

The rock will be in the middle of a bed that should be filled up with perennials next summer. There will be pink flowers of some kind next to the rock, as I think that pink flowers next to a grey stone is so pretty. On the left is hydrangea jack cataraqui, which has just sent up two blossoms. And the top of the bed also has goat's beard and a pretty grass. The holes dug are for iris bulbs.

I put 3 bulbs into each hole for a total of 12 bulbs. These are blue and white irises and should grow to about 20-24" tall. They are planted about 4" deep and will be covered with mulch before the frost comes.

Next I planted two iris rhizomes in the same bed, between the goat's beard and the ornamental grass. These are iris germanica, a type of bearded iris. I love iris flowers, I think they are incredibly beautiful and these rhizomes are iris germanica in two shades of pink and purple. I know nothing about growing irises and I am hoping that YouTube is steering me in the right direction. I guess next year will tell.

I covered these with just a little soil as the recommendation is to have the rhizome close to the surface as it needs sunlight directly on it to flourish. I don't know how these will handle the winter freeze, but perhaps there will be lots of snow to protect them. And if they don't survive, then Vesey's will make more money out of me as I order more.

Plenty more digging to be done. I have daffodils, peonies, wood hyacinths, crocus and black eye susans. I also bought tulip bulbs which are loved by deer unfortunately. So I will try them in pots and over winter them in the garage. Then bring them out in the spring onto the steps or deck and see what happens.