New Plant Adventures

Last fall I added two new irises. One, called Alaskan Seas, looked like this in the catalog picture:

And like this in my garden:

I'm not at all unhappy with the way this iris turned out, but the difference in color is interesting.

Another new iris, called Ziggy, looked like this in the catalog:

Unfortunately, although it reappeared with three fans of leaves, it has not bloomed and doesn't appear to have any buds.

Another new plant last fall, the rose Chihuly, has two buds. I'm excited about this because I have not had a lot of luck with roses, and this one has come back strong.

The bulbs I planted last fall have all done well, and there are two in particular that I will be adding more of: a large, starry alium (Christophi), and this orange heirloom tulip Generaal De Wet, 1904,:

May Garden Blogger's Day

May is the month of the iris in my garden. Although our warm March started everything early, the cool April seemed to slow things down so now they're blooming at about the right time. Most of my iris are bearded iris. I do have a patch of Siberian iris, but those are still in bud.

This last one is new this year --I love the color, and I'm hoping it will form a clump in a few years.

Also blooming are garlic chives,

and lots of native columbine. I also have a songbird columbine that I planted last year, but it is still very small, with just one flower stem.

Last year I planted a clematis, which is the third I've tried and the first that's been successful. Now that I know where they will grow in my garden, I think I'll be adding other colors.

I also uncovered a sphinx moth waiting out the heat of the day in a pile of mulch. I got a few photos before it's wings had dried and it could fly away.

Thanks to Carol for hosting!