Where has the time flown to....
Finally things have quietened down and my mind has space to think of new things, irises for example. When I was young we had a sunny corner of the garden full of tall blue irises, I loved them. Then one day they were gone. For a reason still unknow to me this very day, my dad removed them & threw them away - what a waste if only he had realized how much they were worth! When I was a student I came upon a display of irises in a botanic garden and was amazed to discover that blue was not their only colour - in fact they were named after iris - the goddess of the rainbow - what a wonderful discovery. Plus they come in a whole range of sizes & live in all trypes of environment - an iris for every place ! Now that I have the space, I shall create my own rainbow-bed/s out of the wildness at our Ruins. A summer centre piece in the baking sunshine they so love, a patch by the pond, a stand of spring beauties under the trees.... It will take several seasons to get the soil right but it will be worth the wait. In the meantime I'll pour over the catalogues, watch out for iris-related articles & plan & dream the beds into existence.
We have had scarcely more than a sprinkling of rain in 2 months now but around here, May seems greener & lusher than ever. The only hints that all is not as it should be are the leafless ash trees. I passed a large parkland the other day and was amazed at the exuberance of the mature trees, especially those in blossom. I guess anything with deep roots, that hasn't been killed by the harsh winter, is tapping into abundant ground water. It's not good for shallow-rooted plants & seedlings so I'm longing for a long period of gentle rain to soak into the dry ground & gently percolate down through the layers, safely & calmly topping up the underground reserves.
(photos - sissinghurst irises - Batik)
.
