Today's iris delight!

This iris has always been labeled "Celebration Song or Pastel Ribbons" in my garden.

I knew it was one or the other but I have never really looked it up to confirm.

Today, I decided to see if there were any photos in "Dave's Plant Files" that would end the question. I looked up Celebration Song first and it seems to be a good match. There were many photos that looked like this one.

So then I looked up Pastel Ribbons and there was one photo that also looked a lot like this one!

I really think it is Celebration Song so that will be the fresh label. I should say 'labels'. It turns out that three of my 16 iris are the same cultivar! Maybe I will need to share this one to make room for more varieties....Anyone think they might have room for a pretty little iris to plant next fall?

A New Iris!

As usual, I have iris in my garden that are labeled as one variety, but turn out not to be that variety! I am kind of a 'careless' gardener, in some ways. My mother always marked the plants and then made a map to show where each one was planted in relation to the others. After a year or two, the map wasn't always so useful, but with the combination of labels and map, we could generally figure out what was what.

Two years ago, I purchased two iris at the local iris club sale. This is the first one to bloom and it is not what the label says. It could be that I mixed them up, or they could have been mislabeled at the sale. Not all my iris have buds, so I won't know until next year if I have something else I don't recognize, or if I can solve the mystery.

If I don't figure it out, I will just call this one "Las Vegas Surprise!"

Playing Host...

but mostly just playing!

We have company this week, and I have taken a few days off work while they are here. The Mister's youngest brother and his wife are visiting from the "still pretty cold but not quite frozen North".

We are showing them what Las Vegas has to offer, as well as a short weekend trip to southern California.

Today, the Bellagio Conservatory was part of the agenda. It is one of my favorite things about this city!

It is almost impossible to take a photo in the conservatory without including other folks taking photos!

Part of the display was a zen garden of rocks and sand and chrysanthemums.

And part was a fabulous, fragrant explosion of spring bulbs!

This ladybug was in the English Garden area. She is made of red carnations!

This is her friend the snail!


His home was decorated with two colors of rose buds (with some other plant material that I don't know the name of.) I am guessing the buds have to be replaced at least every 4 or 5 days as they open.

These poppies were so beautiful. They looked like crepe paper flowers in all colors of pink, red, yellow and orange!

Many of the tulips had been replaced and had not opened, but this group was putting on a show!

Tomorrow, we are headed to California, so I will be out of touch for a few days.

I hope next time I can show you the rest of the Rhymeland Blocks!

That Zany Tanzanian Tangerine!

Last November, I moved my poor neglected iris "box-gardens" from the side of the house to the front. (You can read about that process here.)

Today, the first bloom opened!

It is a variety named Tanzanian Tangerine and it is one of my favorites. It is a little tricky to photograph, because it is hard to capture the true color. It is one of the unique color patterns from hybridizer Brad Kasparek of Zebra Gardens in Utah.



In my Kansas garden, I would never have dreamed of having first year bloom on plants that were moved in November. In fact, I would have been skeptical of the plant's survival!

Here, though, I have seven out of eight plants in one bed with bloom stalks, and in the other bed, one stalk and lots of 'fat fans' that indicate a stalk down in the foliage. (The second bed gets a bit of shade from the palm trees, which explains the delay)

One of the plants with a big fat bud, is a variety that is new to me, purchased at the local iris society plant sale two years ago. I can't wait to see what it looks like 'in person'!

The wind is howling, so I hope I don't regret leaving the stalks in the garden. I just really enjoy sharing my iris with the rest of the world!

Easter Sky Texting

This was one of several Easter messages sent out to the Las Vegas Valley this morning!

Not as fast as 'traditional' texting, but more fun to watch!

(I am just assuming that it is not referring to Elvis....)

Happy Easter, everyone!

Jan