Happy Graduation Weekend

This is graduation weekend at Kansas State University. My Siberian irises are heralding the occasion by being in full bloom. (K-State’s colors are purple and white, so I have plenty of these colors in our May garden.)

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Congratulations, to the graduates and to their families!

Iris in the Breeze

Iris season is a special time in our garden. We have about 150 early-mid season irises blooming right now in shades of deep burgundy, vibrant purple, and pure white lining the front walkway and adding sweet scent to the air.  Soon will come the pinks, the mauves and the beiges just around the time that the rose bushes start to bloom and then the spring garden will be in full swing.

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Wishing you a most lovely day!

Past iris posts & photos:

Irises and Roses

Late Season Irises

Mid Season Irises

A Bounty of Irises

Irises in the Morning Light

May Showers, May Flowers

May Showers, May Flowers!

Both despite, and because of, all of the rain that we have had lately, the garden is looking quite lush. I couldn’t help but go out in the drizzle this afternoon to take some pictures. The garden should be gorgeous for Mother’s Day.

… And to my mother, who taught me to garden, “I hope that you have a great day out amongst the flowers, Mom! Love ya.”

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Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!

Irises & Roses

Just in the past few days, my roses have started to bloom. They are about a month late this year. Fortunately, they still overlapped with the irises a bit. I just love the combination of irises and roses – really what’s not to love there? Over the next week or so, the irises will finish off for the season, but the roses will keep blooming into next autumn. The sky has been overcast this afternoon, which always makes the colors in the garden seem all the more vibrant.  So I stole a few minutes during check-in time to catch some quick photos.

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Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Late Season Irises

Iris season is relatively short, so one has to enjoy them while one can. For me, that means getting out and taking lots of pictures … which is wonderfully fun both because the flowers are so beautiful and because they are so fragrant!

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Have a lovely day!

Mid-Season Irises

My mid-season irises are in full bloom. With yesterday’s rain and this morning’s heavy fog, I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to get any photos today; but the flowers put on quite a show! I had a difficult time deciding which shots to share.

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(FYI, the iris in front in the photo above really is that dark, making it a challenge to photograph.)

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Have a wonderful weekend!

Here in Manhattan, it is graduation weekend at KSU and at the local high school, so spirits are pretty high. Once again, congratulations to the new graduates. May your futures hold wonder!

Gorgeous, Dependable White Iris

Stately and fragrant, irises are one of my favorite flowers.  Though delicate-looking, in the right location they are highly dependable. I can count on ours to bloom every year for Kansas State University graduation. I am especially fond of the white irises. They look so crisp and fresh and do a lovely job of greeting guests walking up to the bed and breakfast.

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Iris Season

Our irises started blooming about a week ago in back and a few days ago in front. They’re almost a month early this year. Usually they are at they’re peak in mid-May, right around time for K-State graduation and Mother’s Day.  This year, they will probably be at their peak in about a week. There are lots of buds ready to pop open. These white irises really glow planted in front of sand cherry bushes! I just love them whenever they bloom. Expect more pictures in the weeks to come. Image