With Visions of Irises

Think Spring! Think Irises!

It's about a month and a half from the possibility of working in the garden and another 2 or 3 months until the irises will start to bloom here.  It seems such a long time and though this winter has been very mild, it's toying with us now. Fifty one day, 20 the next, bare ground for a week and then the snow returns.

So this week was made oh so much more bearable by the arrival of 32 pages of hope and color in the Mid-America Garden Catalog.  Paul Black and Thomas Johnson who are the hybridizers at this Salem, Oregon garden have won many, many awards and it's always a treat to see their new introductions.

You can read about what I ordered last year here and what bonuses I received here.

I'll be featuring a few in upcoming posts but here are two that instantly caught my attention...

Thomas Johnson's Flamingo Frenzy and Paul Black's Princess Grace.

Flamingo Frenzy

(T.Johnson '12) Looking at a clump of these rich pink beauties, one could easily imagine a shoreline populated by a flock of brightly colored flamingos. Strong stalks and vigorous growth are distinguishing features of Flamingo Frenzy. You’ll notice the beards are solidly in the pink range rather than the more usual and often jarring tangerine to orange palette.

Midseason-Late 36” (91cm) Sdlg. TA40D: In Love Again X Secret Affair

Princess Grace

(Black '12) Princess Grace was very fond of beige to rosy beige colors. This lovely flower hopefully captures a bit of her beauty in a palette she would find attractive. Plant habit is top notch in every way, from strong vigorous growth to show stalks having 8-9 buds. Clumps transport one to a place of quiet, serene elegance. One of the last to finish blooming.

Midseason-Very Late 32” (81cm) Sdlg. N133A: Blushing Bashful sib X (Good Humor x Weekend Update)