May Flowers

Wow! All of my Iris's are in bloom at the same time.
They are my favorite flower and I've only come across two varieties of Iris that behave badly.

The photo -at top- is one of my faves
with variegated broad sword leaves and a beautiful blue-purple bloom.


 
This ruffled bearded Iris appeared one spring and seems to like my yard.

 Lots of Purple Bearded Iris hang out under the fir trees. The top soil is drier which the iris love.

 Way down my yard towards the runway is the remains of the Leopard's Bane and some free-wheeling California Poppies.

 I just love Iris's.

 Then I see the sweet Columbine starting to bloom and I quickly ditch the iris for these cutie pies.

May and June is when my acre really shines. I used to have a garden goal of being able to pick flowers any day of the year. I've moved on towards less effort in maintaining the yard. Even though  I have all-season color, these next two months are stunning.

Someone was re-doing their yard and tossed these beauties.
They quickly found a home in Canbyland.

I don't know their name and I'm much too lazy to look it up so I call them my Free Rhodies.

 The light was a little crazy this morning on this peony. It almost looks like frost tipping the blooms. It's just closed up against the cooler night air. Peonies are in their element in the late afternoon showing off their Scarlet O'hara hoop skirts at teatime.

 Hanging baskets on the patio - I hung them up today. I potted them up a few weeks ago and I usually set them on the protected side of the patio so the wind and weird spring weather doesn't mess with them while they get going.

I pot my own. Most of the baskets that are sold right now are already root-bound - which means more blooms to entice you to buy. -- Which also means that by July 4th, unless you water them three times a day, they will start looking very sad.

I like mine to look good in the late summer and I'm also quite lazy. I don't want to water more than once every day or so. Who's got time?

My pots are old Rubbermaid brand water reservoir pots. They hold a couple of inches of water for the roots to suck up on the hot days. These pots are more than twenty years old. Most plastic pots only last a few years before the UV (aka sunlight) rots the plastic.

 I bought this Stearman weather vane many years ago for hubbies birthday. It's made from salvaged kitchen aluminum tart dishes among other things.

 And look at those strawberries. Blooming crazy right now - berries 2nd week of June. Not the (CA) ones with white middles. Our Oregon Strawberries are red throughout and much sweeter.

 More Iris's near the patio.

Rusty trying to "STAY" so I can get a photo.

Off to my sewing room to do something - not sure what yet. Then to watch The Avengers this eveing at the movie theater.