The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Tag Archives: iris ‘snow queen’

Allium love, a new holiday and introducing “Question of the Day”

Posted on by Posted in My garden, Perennials, Spring .

Here is the latest and greatest in my garden on this, dare I say, warm and beautiful May afternoon.

It’s all about the Allium right now, as the fruits of my fall labor are being realized this spring. I’ve got at least 25 Allium bulbs in bloom right now and they are kicking ass and taking names.

They look good up close.

allium 2

And as we pan back …

allium

… and back even further.

full 2

 

Baptisia blooms have arrived this week and I’m thinking this day should be declared a holiday each year. That is how festive it makes me feel. At a minimum, I’m going to push for #NationalBaptisiaDay on Twitter leading up to this day in 2017.

baptisia

baptisia yellow

Baptisia ‘Carolina Moon’

 

Siberian iris ‘Snow Queen’ is blooming but I’m only giving you a macros shot because they actually look kind of lousy because this lazy gardener has refused to divide them for four years running now.

iris

 

Amsonia tabernaemontana is blooming and that’s all I will say here because I’ve raved about this plant enough already.

amsonia

 

All of my peonies will be blooming within the next week or so and until then, I’ll enjoy the ridiculously delicious scent of the lilac in the background.

peony lilac

 

Another day, another sigh from me regarding the awesomeness of Ninebark ‘Amber Jubilee’.

ninebark

 

And finally, it’s time to sit back and enjoy watching the garden fill in while all empty spaces disappear.

full

full 3

Thank you again for stopping by.

I am going to try something new today. A “Question of The Day”. Here it is:

What perennial do you find to be the most underrated?

Leave your answer in the comments so we can all discuss and get educated.

Grats

Siberian Iris ‘Snow Queen’

Iris sibirica (Siberian Iris) ‘Snow Queen’

Posted on by Posted in Perennials .

I am here today to sing the praises of the Siberian Iris, specifically, the cultivar ‘Snow Queen’:

Oh, you want to know why? You can’t just simply trust my judgement? I thought we were all tighter than that. OK, fine, I’ll tell you why:

  • Deer resistance – this has become priority #1 for me of late
  • Ability to withstand wet soil – if you’ve read this blog before, you know my issue with wet feet
  • Multitude of blooms – a relatively short window of bloom, but it is a nice explosion for 2 weeks
  • Multi-seasonal interest – these look good almost all year, in and out of bloom
  • Solid design element – the upright, deep green and grassy foliage plays well with other contrasting foliage types

Most often, I’ll purchase a plant if it fits even 2-3 of the criteria above, but when you find one that hits all five, you do a little dance and enjoy the crap out of it.

Some other details on this great performer:
  • Survives in zones 3-9
  • Works well in full sun to partial shade (I’ve tried them in both and found they perform fine in both)
  • They get to be about 36′ high and only need to be about 18″ apart
  • They apparently work in almost any soil but I can only attest to clay
  • I’ve read online that they can rebloom but I’ve never experienced it
  • They divide rather easily, as do all siberian irises although I haven’t divided this cultivar yet

Here are some photos of ‘Snow Queen’ that will take you through the life cycle, season by season:            

    First emerging in the early spring:

    In bud, near the middle of May:

    First bloom of the year (note the golden yellow color):

    In full bloom in late May:

    The last bloom hanging on for dear life yesterday:

    The strapping foliage still providing interesting vertical lines in Fall:

    Call me crazy, but I even like the dead foliage color in Winter:

    I am anxious to try other Siberian iris cultivars (I also have ‘Ruffled Velvet’ which hasn’t performed as well) as long as I can find room for them all.

    As always, I would love to get your thoughts on other Siberian or even non Siberian irises you have had success with or any tips that have been successful for you.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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