Here Today ~ Gone Tomorrow

This early blooming beauty is the heirloom Germanica Iris "Eleanor Roosevelt". Germanica Iris are the large bearded iris. This one was named after Eleanor Roosevelt in 1933 in honor of her efforts to plant vegetables at the White House.

Another heirloom iris, Germanica Iris "Mme. Chereau" registered by Lemon in 1844. Although it has tall stems, it is a very small flower.

The registered name for this is Germanica Iris "#10 Maroon". It's very large and looks like velvet.

This pretty medium-sized iris is called Irdaceae "Red Zinger". It was the first to start blooming in my garden this year. All my flowers/bushes/trees seem to be about fifteen days earlier than last year thanks to the early warmth and lack of late frosts.

This is the first year this iris has bloomed although I planted in 2008. It's particular needs are very much the opposite of most iris because it likes wet bog conditions. I planted where rainwater from the downspout runs over it's feet.

This unusual iris is Germanica Iris "Synergy" and was introduced by Keppel in 2004. The form and coloring are what attracted me to this version. It is a small gold/buff, has lilac brushing and veins, an orange ruff and heavy ruffling. It is pearled and glistens in the sun.

As I've mentioned before, I keep rather detailed information on my plants. One of the things this allows me is to realize when something has died. That may sound crazy that I might not know when a plant (especially a beautiful one) dies, but, with as many packed-full beds as we have, it can slip by my summer thoughts.

Germanica Iris are considered pretty darn hardy and that perception is reinforced by the many growing along roadsides, in abandon yards and old cemeteries and the fact they are about 7,000 years old. I use the word perception because they have definite likes and dislikes and are all too willing to die for their preferences.

Unless specifically described otherwise, Germanica Iris rules are:

• They do not want to sit in water or "sticky" compacted soil.
• They will not bloom in full shade.
• They must sit with part of the rhizome at ground level or exposed.
• The old middle of clumps will usually die and need to be discarded.
• They will do better if they are divided every few years. (see my articles "Divide and Conquer" (10-30-08) and "Iris Perfection" (5-23-09)
• They have a few pests that will eat the rhizomes and deer may find them yummy.

And then, they may die even when you do everything perfectly right. This seems to be directly related to how much is paid for the plant. Seriously, the pressure of buying an expensive iris only to have it disappear is more than I can stand.

I often swear I'll never buy another iris - when I realize how many have disappeared. Then comes May and the beautiful flowers start their show; I catch myself cruising the on-line Schreiner's Iris or Hornbaker Garden's catalogs.