‘Beware of gardeners bearing plants!’ I was once told. Yet that experience more or less accounts for the largest group of irises in the Dumfriesshire Garden, and none the worse for that in my view.
The source of the Iris Siberica seen here was the contents of a couple of carrier bags, plants just past flowering and looking for a home. I took them in, found they did well in our conditions, and then gradually spread them out into what is now a dozen or so clumps around the garden. These groups flower in sequence, depending on their aspect and how much sun they get, and to me the irises are clear evidence that Spring is in high gear. Their grassy foliage and branched stems make them situate well in semi-naturalised settings, where the borders are mature and things are flowing freely. A low-budget give away they may have been, but that doesn’t diminish the pleasure they bring.
The beautiful Japanese water iris, seen below, is a different story. It was spotted in the ‘damp loving’ section of one of my favourite plant nurseries. I bought three and 2024 has been their first year in flower. Shorter stemmed, longer flowering and altogether more exotic than Siberica, they certainly looks good beside a chocolatey ligularia.
The plants in our gardens come to us by various routes. My third iris example is the humble, native flag. This one came of its own volition. I created a pond, it soon appeared and took up residence, spreading its rhizomes in the watery shallows.
Whichever way these storied irises were acquired, they are all extremely welcome aspects of the spring garden.
The full list of pieces that make up my A-Z in the Dumfriesshire Garden in 2024 can be found here: https://davidgrahamclark.net/a-z-of-the-dumfriesshire-garden-in-2024/
Quotidian 