OMG... They are all beautiful.. I love the iris as well as the roses. I think you should share more pictures.

11. may be Tradescandia.
    Love your many irises.

I miss irises living in Florida....sigh. I think 11 is spiderwort.

Thanks, I checked online, tradescantia or spiderwort, maybe one is the nickname or something. Thanks guys!

Iris is so beautiful, but usually doesn't last long. That's why I start planting some roses and hope to add more color to my garden during the whole summer.

I guess you do have a good start on your gardens! Lovely--and I love all the irises. They steal the show when they are in bloom--though Mr. Lincoln and DD are doing their best (which is very good indeed!) to uphold the rose end of the beauty bar.

Kate

Hi, Kate,

Thanks so much for your comments!

I noticed your account name is dublinbay... I bought a new dublinbay this year for more than 1 month, however, it looks like it just stays there, not dying, but not growing at all. It makes me worry what's going on, the temperature is very warm here already (Western Mass).

Another thing is usually how tall the climbing dublinbay can reach for the first year. I assume you might have a lot of experience with this climber, lol. Thanks.

Wow, beautiful iris, very elegant with the roses.

The iris are just ridiculous. Too pretty for words. Love that you added those to your post!

freelong--I'm trying to remember back to the first year I was growing Dublin Bay, but my memory is a bit fuzzy. I know it took 2-3 years for DB to really settle in and get those roots growing good. I have it on a 7-8 ft pillar--I think the first year it got about half way up, but didn't bloom much. By the 2nd or 3rd year, it was easily reaching the top of the pillar. I've had it long enough that I actually needed to prune a couple of the big OLD canes back down to the ground--to encourage new growth (blooms better on new growth). DB responded gallantly--lots of new growth last year and blooms this year--and it has grown up to the top of the pillar again.

Usually, with any climber, it will take several years before the climber really starts to strut its stuff, so I wouldn't worry yet if I were you.

Kate

Wow, I love all those irises! Amazing.

Thanks Kate. Maybe I expect too much for the first year. I should be more patient, but it will be sad not to bloom for the first year...

I am in 5A, maybe it will need 3 years to be mature, OK, I will wait then, lol.

Another questions, I also planted some other climbing roses, and I read online that I shouldn't do any pruning for the first 2 years, no matter the long canes or the lateral canes, is that correct? If not, what kind of pruning I need for the first 2 years?

Thanks so much!

I love the irises more than anything. Is that Bayberry Candle in your first photo? So lovely! It glows.
Renee

Hi, Renee,

Yes, I think so. Too many different colors and I usually cannot remember their specific names, lol. Not like rose, roses always have different color, different shape, and different smells. Iris all look the same.

Hi freelong Can we do a trade? Please email me. Thanks Brenda

Brenda, what do u want to trade?

Since all of my Iris are very crowded together, even if you want some specific color, it is still hard for me to pick them out after the blooming.

more today's, if you like

Guh. Just beautiful!

Guys, a couple of more if you like, forgive me to put the non-roses pictures in the rose gallery, hehe.

1.

Lovely pictures! The iris's are beautiful!

Mmmmmm. Beautiful. I LOVE irises. And what are the crazy orange "mop heads" with the brown centers? I've never seen anything like those before.

Harmony,

I guess you are talking about the ornamental poppy, right? You can google the name. A lot of people grow that just in their own yard, they are beautiful for landscaping.

Your roses are beautiful but WOW, you have an amazing collection of iris!

I've just started adding both bearded and non-bearded irises to my gardens. I wish they stayed in bloom longer, but I am so smitten I don't care. You've captured them so beautifully here. They seem to reflect beauty so accurately - so breathtaking, and yet so fleeting. We hold on to every moment of their beauty, and then they are gone. I have no idea how we got so lucky with roses to have something so breathtakingly beautiful last so long...

Yes, that's totally true, Harmony.

Usually the Iris doesn't last long, especially the bearded Iris, they wither quickly especially during the hot weather with big sun. And, they won't bloom until the next year, but the plants still look gorgeous even if without flowers.

Rose is very special, and they can flush a couple of times from late spring to late summer. That's why I have planted a lot this year, and hopefully to add more colors to my garden for the summer.

Unfortunately, I am at 5A, and we don't have too much choices about roses, not like zone 6 or 7, most of roses will be vigorous there. I particularly did a lot of researches, and bought the only hardy ones, and hopefully they can survive the first hardy winter here in Western Mass.

Your garden is so wonderful. Those pictures of irises are just as beautiful as the calendar pictures from professional photographers :)

Beautiful irises and poppies! I have a ton of irises. I'm actually getting sick of them now. They take over the rose beds and I don't have time to keep up with the thinning. I have over 1600 roses and probably just as many irises. After awhile, if you don't get them thinned out every so many yrs, they quit blooming and just grow on top of each other and crowd everything around them. I'm actually throwing many of mine away as I trim them. Nobody at my work wants anymore, I've given them so many already!

That's right, Beth. If you don't divide them every 3 years, they won't bloom well anymore. I took care of some of them last year, and will do it again this year for another part.

Wow, you have 1600 roses??? That must be gorgeous.

I had been meaning to post the question about irises and roses, as I've heard many times people complain about having planted them together. Now I'm understanding why. And it's really good to know they need to be divided every 3 years - I have 2 years before I need to do anything, but now I'll be ready. And I'll keep on top of them (or at least try to) to try to keep them from taking over. But they sure look awful pretty with the roses. And I sure do love learning everything else about gardening in these rose forums. Thanks all!.

Love those irises and poppies, freelong!

Haha, Beth you need to put up the 1600 Roses, I'm demanding them right now! It's been too long since you've posted your Beauties!

Oh my goodness--these pictures took my breath away----I noticed the beautiful birch tree----it looks great with the Iris
Thanks for sharing your beautiful gardens----

Florence

wow! So much beauty! Thank you for sharing with us.

My Julia child for the first year. Another perfect yellow rose for me. So good in the big blue container.

A closer up one: