Iris of the Day: Repeat Performance. 5.9.19

Tall Bearded Iris "Repeat Performer"  5.9.19

I planted "Repeat Performance" late last summer / early fall. Due to the timing, I didn't expect a bloom, but here it is. Very large, lush looking flower. Nice fragrance.  We'll see how it does as the clump establishes.  The name emphasizes that this is a repeat blooming variety, so we'll see if it does that, too.

The photo below shows the largest group of clumps that survived and bloomed in the woodlot border.   Very nice, I think.

Back to front, Iris flavescens, Alcazar, and Lorelei.  5.9.19

I

Laburnum in Bloom. Kitchen Garden Today, 5.8.19

Laburnum at 7 years.  5.8,19

I planted this laburnum as a sale tree from Home Depot, in summer 2012.

For some reason, it's never had the long trailing flower clusters of others that I have seen.  Still, it's a nice tree, with nice flowers, and has stayed a moderate size.  This tree now males it through the summers with no watering and receives almost no care.

In the kitchen garden today, I planted the rest of the sauce tomatoes (Ranger).  A dozen plants is plenty for me.  Getting them into the ground, they are less apt to dry out in their little containers.

Iris of the Day. Indian Chif. And Some Others. 5.8.19

Iris " Indian Chief".  5.7.19

Iris Alcazar.  5.8.19

Another iris in the woodlot border opened its flower.  This time, it's "Indian Chief".

"Indian Chief" was released to the public, some time in the 1920s.  In the years that followed, the country would need something bright and beautiful, that  could multiply and be given to others.

It's not a large clump.  I may move it out of te border and into the bearded iris bed, where it can have better care.

I did not appreciate a fragrance but need to check again.

Below, the clump of Alcazar shows off its vigor and pride.  The clump of Iris flavescens to the right, has just begun to bloom.

I weeded here, after taking the photo.

Iris flavescens.  5.8.19

Note: I initially identified "Indian Chief" iris as "Dauntless". Reviewing old blog entries, this is "Indian Chief".  The photos match perfectly.  I will move it to the main iris bed, where it will have more sunshine and better care than here, in the woodlot border.

An Ugly Iris. 5.8.19

I  bought this iris, "My Friend Jonathan" late last summer / early fall at Costco.   It was in a package with the variety " His Royal Highness".   The rhizomes were very vigorous, grew rapidly, got through the winter without problems, and just started blooming.

What can I say?  This color is like an old faded Kodachrome.  It looks like there is a layer of dirt covering a nicer looking flower.  But there isn't.  It has a faint fragrance.

Iris pigments don't always photograph true.  I think the photo is nicer than the flower in person.

I'm not usually one to dig up a healthy plant and throw it away, but this one will go when it finishes blooming.  There are countless better looking ones.  This cultivar has the advantage of reblooming, so you can look at ugly twice a year.

I hope "His Royal Highness" looks better.

Planting Sweet Corn Seeds. 5.7.19

Mesh to protect sweet corn seeds, planted 5.7.19

It may be too early.  However, this promises to be an early summer, hot and dry.  So I planted two blocks of sweet corn.  I generally plant a new block of sweet corn seeds, for 4 rows of 5 plants per row, every 2 or 3 weeks until late june.  If it does turn put to be too early and these either don't germinate or don't thrive, I can replant the beds in a few weeks.

I planted the varieties Burpee's  Farmers' First se hybrid, and Bodaceous se hybrid.  I placed mesh over one block, and fencing low tunnels over the other, to reduce herbivorous browsing of the seeds and small plants.

The soil is quite warm and dry now. Midday soil temp was in the 70s.  It feels like midsummer soil.

Yellow Jackets. 5.7.19

Yellow Jacket Trap.  5.7.19

There are more yellow jackets in the traps, every day.  It's almost scary.  Such ominous life forms.

I'm no expert, but some are huge.  I hope that means Im catching queens.  I also hope we don't get a repeat of last year, when they destroyed the entire breba fig crop.

Thornless Blackberry Progress Report. 5.7.19

Blackberry Floricanes.  R is Triple Crown.  L is Arapaho.

New Primocane Growth for Prime Ark Freedom Blackberry.  5.7.19

The floricanes for blackberry Triple Crown ate growing rapidly and have flower buds.  Arapaho is less vigorous and behind Triple Crown in growth.

The floricanes of Prime Ark Freedom died this winter, somI have go depend on the new primocanes for berries.  That should not be a problem, since these are a primocane bearing variety.  However, Im not sire if spotted leaf drosophila will be an issue for the later berries.

Potato Progress Report. 5.7.19

Potato Plants.  5.7.19

Potato Plants.  5.7.19

The early- planted potatoes have grown by leaps and bounds.  We are having unusually hot, dry weather, so I watered them.  The soil is filled into the trenches and smoothed over.  One nice thing about the trench method, as opposed to planting the, more shallow and hilling up the soil, is I think they retain moisture better so need less watering.  This did not lead to rot for any of the plants.

The last of the planted spuds are smaller.  I assume that will stagger the crop, so they are not all ready at once.

Featured Bearded Iris: Eleanor Roosevelt. 5.7.19

Bearded Iris Eleanor Roosevelt.  5.7.19

Eleanor Roosevelt was released in 1936.  From the link above - Historic Iris Society, quoted from Cooley's Garden Catalog:

From the Cooley’s Gardens catalog for 1937: “Deep fluorite purple self, with very rich falls. The opening flower is almost black, and the heavy blue beard tends to increase the depth of color. This is the leading fall-blooming iris in commerce today, because it increases very fast, is most reliable in flowering habit, and is one of the most beautiful irises in the garden regardless of its added value as a rebloomer.”

I've had this iris for a number of years.  This clump got buried when I decommissioned the raised bed, but survived and grew up,throughgh 6 inches of soil.  I transplanted it, and here js one of the rhizomes blooming after only one year. Less, really.  About 9 months.

I will be sure to relabel this clump and move it to a more prime location, now that it is identified.

I enjoy that description, " Deep fluorite purple".

Eleanor Roosevelt is a smaller variety, which can rebloom and has done so for me.

Planting Tomatoes. 5.6.19

Tomato Plants.  5.6.19

Tomato Plants.  5.6.19

Today the temp reached 80, with prediction for higher as we go through the week.  Nights down to mid 50s.  Soil temp in the 70s.  I thought about waiting, but there is risk of overheating and drying out in the sunroom, so I planted most of the slicing tomatoes today.

These are all started from seeds, i doors, under lights in early April.

The varieties are Better Boy, Brandy Boy, Sunny Boy, Red October, something early.  There are a few more to plant.

This rotation, last year was corn, te year before was squash.  Before that, lawn and weeds.