Dig It-Sinfionetta Louisiana Iris

I commented to a visitor to Pittsgrove that the frogs seemed to be the only ones appreciating all the rain we have continued to have here at the farm. She then pointed out that our Louisiana iris sure seemed to be loving the wet, wet weather we are experiencing. I must agree as they are flourishing everywhere we have them planted.


Sinfionetta (Raabe, 1986) certainly has been happy and its true blue blossoms are easily identified from the ponds and planting beds. Like other Louisiana iris, Sinfionetta is a swamp or water plant, but if kept well watered it will happily grow in a garden bed. Averaging a height of 36", it does well in full sun to part shade and blooms in early to late summer, with good flowering habit.

Dig It-Pseudocorus-Yellow Flag Iris

Pseudocorus, commonly known as Yellow Flag iris, is the only water iris with yellow flowers. Varieties range in color from ivory yellow to deep golden yellow and bloom time is mid-season. The most commonly seen in our area average 36" in height, but there are varieties that can reach heights of 6 feet or more.

Although Pseudocorus are fantastic water iris, they tolerate a number of conditions from shallow water to a moist garden bed planted along with Siberian iris. They are ideal for that wet, sunny spot in the yard where you may have difficulty getting anything to survive. This vigorous perennial will remain a steadfast grower for years on end.

Water Iris - Iris Versicolor Blue Flag

Irises seem to pop up a lot more when you look for them. I guess I have had irises on the mind a lot lately.

Yesterday Christina and I took a long walk around Burnham Park - behind our house in Morristown. Along the way, gingerly walking to avoid goose droppings, we saw some very cute baby ducks (they were camera shy) and also saw these very pretty iris growing wild at the bank of the pond.


The bearless iris was a prolific bloomer despite having only the attention of the occasional wayward fisherman's footstep. The light purple blooms had darker purple veins with white and yellow closer to the center. They appear to be Iris Versicolor, Blue Flag Iris. As I am not the resident iris expert, I will check with my father, John, for confirmation - he after all is the one with roughly 40 years of gardening experience.

After a rough day, it was nice to come across something pleasantly unexpected. Speaking of which, another happy surprise was finding a very nice write up about our site on the Backyard Fancy blog. The blog focuses on backyard ideas and garden decor - thanks for thinking of us.

Happy Gardening!

Back in the Pond

Knowing that I try to photograph each variety of flowers that we grow as they come into bloom, John excitedly told me to grab my camera to get a picture of a new iris since it might be my only opportunity this year. He is also aware that I get "up close and personal" in trying to capture the individual characteristics of each flower. So, I swear he eagerly anticipated my return venture into our pond to capture Iris Laevigata, "Snow Drift".

This variety is a wetland iris white in color with a touch of blue and is good for pond edges. A true "Japanese iris", it will grow equally well submerged in shallow water or on the edge. It requires full sun and an acid soil and in its wild form, grows in Japan, Korea, and China. Blooming time is May to June, depending upon Mother Nature's whims and ours came into bloom in mid-May.

Laevigata Variegata, sister plant to the above, hasn't bloomed yet and I'm sure that as soon as it does, John will use it as an opportunity to get me back in the pond. These are both new additions to Pittsgrove Farms and we hope to propagate them so they will be available to you next spring.

John's Revenge

Spring has finally sprung and the glorious weather has kept us in full swing with cleaning up the iris and peony beds, potting, and planting, which brings me to my latest and newest gardening experience.

At this time of year, John and I get starter plants arriving on a regular basis, so I was eager to see what the FedEx guy had for us when he pulled up. That's when John informed me that while I was in Washington he had ordered some water lilies(are you starting to envision what's in store for me?). He had purchased Albida,Texas Dawn, and several other varieties from Maryland Aquatic Nurseries and said that Kelly whom he had spoken with was very nice and extremely knowledgeable. He also let me know that while I was gone, he took a vote, I won, and therefore had the "honor" of planting the water lilies in the big pond. He, on the other hand, would be left to plant the others in the small pond that we built last fall.

I don't know how much of an "honor" this was---I think it was his way of getting back at me for the broken coffee maker!!!