Tall German irises enjoy time in the sun

Tag : mauve pigment

The tall German or bearded irises dominated the scene, inharmonious shades of mauve and blue. This is their peak time,following their petite cousins the dwarf irises a month earlier,and soon to be replaced by the more slender Siberian irises.
The thing I appreciate about the German iris is its strikingsword-like foliage, which adds subtle garden interest throughoutthe season. They are simple to divide and multiply at any time,though I'd leave them alone during the blooming period to maximizethe show. Unlike the fibrous-rooted Siberians, German irises, withtheir thick rhizomes, need well-drained soil. Boggy beds andespecially wet feet during the winter can cause survival problems.
Like the last fading bursts in a fireworks show, the allium globesstill showed a trace of purple, most of which they had turned overto the equally tall irises. Also called ornamental onion, alliumsoffered more than a month of striking bloom with perfectly round10-centimetre flower heads. Sandra did a lovely job of groupingcolours that blend perfectly. That takes knowledge of bloom timesand colour co-ordination. If you'd like to start alliums, add themto the list of daffodil and crocus bulbs you'll be planting inSeptember.
A close look at the right side will reveal several very plump peonybuds, within days of opening. The plants are still quite erect,partially a reflection of the fact that we haven't had one of thoseheart-breaking wind and rain storms that bend so many tall flowerstems over. Most likely too, Sandra may have peony rings in therethat I didn't notice.
Prominently rising into the blue sky with its silvery foliage nowat its best is a blue spruce. Judging by the irregular shape andintensely blue needles, I would guess this to be a grafted varietysuch as Moerheim or Koster, rather than the basic Colorado bluespruce. That intense blueness can be had in more compact varietiesnow, such as Baker's Blue or Fat Albert. In any case, a blue sprucealways looks its worst (greenest) in early spring after the longwinter has worn much of the blue pigment off the needles, and itsvery best (bluest) in early July after the new growth has reachedfull size.
Sandra asked me about pruning this rather open-growing evergreen.It could be shaped and kept more compact by thinning pruning backthe longest branches two or three seasons of growth (30-60 cm).Just cut each longer branch back to its base where it forks,leaving the side branches at that point to take over outwardgrowth. Two or three seasons of doing that can turn the gangliesttree into a real show piece. She also wondered about pruning backthe Japanese maple behind the spruce. What a rich contrast itprovided to the spruce's light foliage. The lush dusky-red canopyis so dark, it likely won't even show in the photo. Thinningpruning to the same degree, or even more (branches 40-80 cm long)will control the size, improve the shape and lengthen the usefullifespan of this and other small trees such as crabs and mountainash.
Garden correspondents with Harvey McLeod in Hampton
Harvey and Gina are amongst a small but dedicated group ofHimalayan blue poppy growers, so the first line of news from Harveywas that on Friday, the first large blue flower of the seasonopened on their beloved blue poppy (the only surviving plant ofseveral that had been started.)
"We've been searching all kinds of garden centres and suppliers,and can't find them for sale anywhere. Most of them say the plantsare just too fussy to raise. Maybe some day we'll get up to RefordGardens in Quebec, where they specialize in raising blue poppies."
Harvey said that not necessarily on purpose, the surviving bluepoppy was the first bloomer of what should become quite a blueshowcase during the next month. That's because the plant beside itis false indigo (Baptisia), which will be covered in lovely blueflowers and soon after the tall spikes of a delphinium willcomplete the monochromatic picture.
I asked Harvey how the vegetables were coming along.
"We have had very little rain in May or June, so it's gettingfairly dry, but so far, that hasn't slowed down the vegetableplants. That area is naturally wet, so in times of low rainfall,the soil moisture remains satisfactory for good plant growth. Thegood news is that slug damage is virtually non-existent and none ofmy plants have blown or bent over from rain and wind. The wholegarden is really having a wonderful season so far."
If you'd like to visit Fort Mcleod (Harvey's deer-fenced gardenhaven) and five other great Hampton gardens, plan to attend theHampton Communities in Bloom annual garden tour this Saturday, June28, 1-4 p.m.
Hampton was a national winner in 2007, and this fundraising eventcovers some of the fine work that is done beautifying public spacesin the town. The $12 tickets are available at Hampton Pharmasaveand Kredl's. Better get weeding, Harvey!
Duncan Kelbaugh is a gardener living in Saint John. His columnappears Tuesday.