Hey!

Beautiful picture! I have no luck with roses. I may try to plant some again!

About the Irises...You shouldn't have to dig far, from my expierence, the roots should be right at ground level, and when you transplant them, you barely cover the root (which looks kind of like ginger), and stake the Iris until it developes it's own root system.

I could be wrong, but this is from my expienece.

Have you done a veggi garden?

Mine is coming up beautifully! No problems with insects yet (knock on wood). I am already seeing baby squash, and I am letting my tomato plants flower now.

I have also been sharing my garden with my Mother-In-Law who lives on rental property. She has been coming over and helping be hoe it up and giving me tons of advice.

It is very therapudic.

German Bearded Iris are most likely what you have. They are easily divided. Usually June/July is considered to be the ideal time to divide old overgrown stands. Use a spading fork, loosen soil and lift plants with as much of the root system attached to the rhizomes as possible. Begin breaking the rhizomes into individual pieces with growing leaves attached to the end of each piece. If it doesn't have growth on the end, throw it away, it is part of the moribund center. Trim the leaves to approximately 6-8", traditionally they are trimmed at an angle from both outside edges, creating an arrow head tip of trimmed leaves. I have in the past gotten as many as two to three dozen new babies from one old overgrown iris. Trim the roots to about 4" and replant in well prepared beds with addition of bone meal. Be sure and not cover the rhizome too deeply. You may have noticed their growning on the top of the ground. That is their habit. If you bury them slightly they will find their own way back up. They will bloom again next spring, but it will be three years before they are again magnificent.

As to tulips and daffodils, it is best to leave them as they are, unless they are overgrown. If you need to divide old worn out clumps, do so just as the leaves are almost totally faded at the beginning of summer. Tulip and daffodil bulbs are best dried in a shady area and replanted in the mid fall.

Best of luck.

I can't tell from the photo, but the rose appears to be Joseph's Coat, or perhaps Seven Sisters, both old southern garden varieties known for their hardiness and vigor. There is a chance it could also be Mutabilis.

Mary -

I can't give you any advice on the roses since I didn't do anything to these - they just sort of bloomed on their own. We have two other rose bushes next to this one that are also blooming really nicely. We ended up not doing a garden this year (again), because Jeremy is going to France and Germany for the summer (lucky him, right?). I didn't want to end up doing all the gardening alone - we're devising a plan of attack for next summer and hopefully we'll do something then. I am planning on planting some herbs for an indoor herb garden though.

dmcg -

I would LOVE to have some yarn the colors of that rose. I would also love to have a dye party. I've not really dyed much yarn on my own with anything other than kool-aid, which although it works really well, I hate the sugary smell that lingers.