Dig It-Ice Chalet-Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris

Dwarf bearded iris are beginning to come into bloom here at Pittsgrove, although a customer 30 minutes south of us recently told me most of hers had come into bloom the end of March. In any case, the dwarf are the first of the bearded iris to show their blossoms, usually after the daffodils have finished and tulips are beginning.


Ice Chalet (Paul Black-1981) is 6-12" and like other dwarf iris makes a good rock garden or border plant. It is icy white with a bluish cast and a lavender-blue beard. It has an almost translucent quality to it with a sweet fragrance.

Those of you in the area of the Presby Gardens, will be able see many varieties of Dwarf Bearded coming into view long before their taller brothers.

Happy Gardening!
Cheryl

Iris Unguicularis-AKA Winter Blooming Iris

Having just experienced "The Winter That Wasn't" here in Jersey, it may seem strange to be writing about a winter blooming iris, but we try to introduce you to some plants that may be unfamiliar to all of you who just remember Grandma's iris (tall bearded) growing in her back yard.

Iris Unguicularis, additionally known as Algerian iris, is rarely available and rarely seen. Its foliage is evergreen and is about 18" in height, forming a nice clump. The approximately 3" light purple blooms are nestled in the center of the clump.


The plant will start to bloom when the weather starts to turn cold, around November and will continue to bloom until about April, stopping its blooms if the temperature drops to 15 degrees or so. The plant above had 6 or 7 flowers blooming for months since this winter was so mild.

Winter Blooming Iris does well in a warm, dry location in zones 7-9 and really seems to thrive on neglect. When you come upon it in the garden in January or February in full bloom, it really surprises you. The color and size of the flowers make you think of spring, not winter.

The iris should be planted in the early fall by division. It takes a couple of years to form a nice size blooming clump.


With the warm weather continuing, we expect it to be an early year for all our plants, so as we watch the flowers fade on the Winter Blooming Iris, we welcome the burst of color that spring brings and await the first blossoms on our bearded iris.

Look forward to seeing you at the farm!

Happy Spring!
Cheryl

Iris---Slowly But Surely

Spring has definitely arrived, but is certainly taking it's time as I sit here writing wearing a long sleeved flannel shirt on May 14th! But the birds have returned, the bird houses are filled with new occupants, and the robins have started a new brood. Our dwarf bearded are in full bloom with our intermediates popping open each day, but the peonies are still in bud and should be opening with some additional sunshine, which may not be too forthcoming.Florentina-1500
Last fall we planted a number of iris that Presby Memorial Iris Gardens gave us to propagate and to serve as a back up in case their beds are vandalized as they were a few years back when a number of their historic iris were ripped from the ground and strewn about the property. A few of those iris have begun opening such as King Christian and Florentia and while they are interesting, they do not have the same impact that the newer varieties exhibit. But, as always, John and I are always excited to see a flower for the first time and each week a new surprise awaits us here at the farm.King Christian-Intermediate 1901
We did find Blue Boy to be an attractive early bloomer and are anxious to see what other surprises are in store.
Blue Boy-Intermediate 1913

Happy Gardening!
Cheryl

Baby Blessed and Blessed with a Baby

Baby Blessed Dwarf Bearded

Baby Blessed is the dwarf bearded iris that I have written about before and is a sturdy, beautiful little plant that we should be seeing in bloom within the next few weeks.

Just as iris continue to grow at Pittsgrove, our family is also expanding with the addition of a beautiful grand daughter on March 31. Jeremy and his wife, Christina, are the proud, first-time parents and all of us were thrilled to have a new family member who will one day play in the dirt with us. No, we don't expect her to join the family business, but what child doesn't like getting as dirty as possible outdoors. As I have nicknames for her cousins the Fairy Princess and Vehicle Boy, this sweet baby, whose name is derived from the Greek word helios for sun, will be known in this and future blogs as Sunshine.
Sunray Reflections-tall bearded

Along with the Baby Blessed that we gave Jeremy to plant at their house, we gave him Sunray Reflections, since Sunshine has brightened our lives and is a reflection of the love Jeremy and Christina have for one another.

Think Spring!
Cheryl