GBBD: The Ideal Iris


Why ideal? I planted these Iris reticulata 'Katharine Hodgkin' in the gravel at the side of the house when I bought them at the RHS London Show sell-off 4 years ago and they've come up every year since. I have quite a few of the purple sort elsewhere in the garden, but I love the more unusual pale blue and yellow of these.

Elsewhere I've been replanting the snowdrops which some pesky squirrels or birds dug up recently, plus some self-sown crocus I found in the back garden's gravel path. These gave me the opportunity to fill some of the gaps in the guerrilla garden at the front of the house. Whilst there, I've been admiring the first flowering of the hellebores J from choir gave me last year :)

The winter aconites have just started to appear, and the daffodils are showing much promise for the weeks to come. Indoors, the paperwhites which I potted up when disregarding the rules are doing rather well.

The floral year most definitely has begun :)

Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Comments

  1. Katherine Hodgekins is a lovely iris, I might get some for next year now I have found somewhere in the garden that they seem to like.

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  2. Hi Helen - she's well worth getting. Not many do well in gravel, hence my pleasure at seeing these every year :)

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  3. She is a beauty isn't she VP with such exquisite markings. I am looking out for her relative Sheila Anne Germany this year who is meant to be even better :)

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  4. I think I have seen these Iris reticulata in the last 10 blogs I have read today, and I am kicking myself for not buying any last autumn when I was thinking about it, they are lovely! This year I certainly will. Happy GBBD!

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  5. That is certainly an unusual color - a prize indeed!
    Happy Bloom Day!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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  6. I planted some Iris Reticulata in containers in the autumn, but they're not blooming yet. Yours have done well to come back year after year.

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  7. My favourite Iris reticulata - I thought I had lost all mine to flooding this year. I found 3 bulbs sitting on the surface of the soil, sprouting about 4 weeks ago - during a frost!!
    I potted them up and low and behold - one flower opened yesterday. A valentine gift from my garden. These Iris are billed as the earliest of the reticulata to flower!

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  8. That is truely a beautiful iris!

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  9. She looks perfect set against that gravel. No sign of my little blue irises as yet, but I refuse to give up hope...

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  10. I love this iris and cannot wait to see it in my garden soon!

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  11. I have the same iris in various parts of the garden and someone has stood on a small clump by the front drive which didn't please me at all!

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  12. It is lovely and makes a change from the usual purples, lovely though they are. Can't get them to grow in my garden unfortunately.

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  13. Boohoo.. I didn't get round to planting iris bulbs for this year and only a tiny clump came up in the border from last year. Katharine Hodgkin are my favourite ones too.

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  14. Hi everyone - thanks for your comments and it's good to see that this iris is a popular bloom with many of you.

    A warm welcome to new commenter Jay :)

    Anna - I've not heard of that one - I must check it out immediately!

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  15. Another iris fan here. Dd you go to the RHS show yesterday? Another breathtaking display of irises from Jacques Amand. I didn't realise there was a sell-off. Note to self for next year.

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