Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Kudos to Borglum's!

Giving credit where it is due is always a good way to start.  I must start with the Borglums, Dana and Sylvia.  Their iris farm no too far south-east of Rochester got me hooked.  I had a few cultivars that were ordered through the generic catalogs, but when I first visited Borglum's Iris Farm I saw the possibilities.

Dana has registered a few of his own cultivars, including this Seneca Creamsicle, now in my garden... 


Borglum's is dig your own heaven.  Here's an example.  My good friend David in Lexington is building his collection and Dykes Medal Winners are great choices.  (More on Dykes later.)  He wanted Jurassic Park, Larry Lauer's 1995 introduction.



So I headed to Borglums.  I grabbed a spade, a plastic grocery bag and wagon, supplied at the farm and for about the price of one dry root rhizome, I dug this beautiful clump.  Plenty for me and couple of rhizomes for David.  


This closeup shows the intricate shadings and marking that an iris can display. 


David got a rhizome or two and here is the clump in my garden.
Can't wait for this year's bloom!

Moving My Gardening to a New Blog

Irises and daylilies are pushing out parts of my activist existence.  It is the balance I have long needed.  When I am in the garden I feel a sense of rightness and serenity that I don't seem to find anyplace else. That is reason enough to move this into its own corner of the blogosphere.

I'll still maintain the other blog for the primal screaming and outrage at a world where people of faith and politicians have lost the ability to see the big picture that we are all God's children and we need to take love our neighbors as ourselves.

But here wil be my retreat, my oasis.  If I am here alone that's fine by me.  If some friends choose to share it that will be even better. Welcome!


Tall Bearded Iris: Harvest of Memories (Zurbrigg, 1984)  and unknown cultivar of blue Siberian iris.
Diamond Rise Garden - Summer 2011