The Dawn of Summer, Part IV

Let's dive deeper into summer's delights. I don't recall exactly where we left off, but today we're going deep into iris territory.

We begin with some lovely purple and gold irises in the peak of bloom.

Even iris buds are beautiful. When I was very small, I used to pick these and pretend they were eccentric lipsticks.

For a little change of pace, here's another peony bush. Peonies are so purely white that they're difficult to photograph with any detail.

These flowers are also exquisite, but I don't quite know what they are. They're almost like pink bluebells.

We now return to your regularly scheduled irises. These sunny yellow flowers serve to demonstrate the versatility of irises. Irises can look elegant (like the purple ones above), cheery (like these), or dramatic (as in the next picture).

These maroon irises border on moody and misunderstood, that's how dramatic they are. Yet, they evoke emotions just as positive as smiley face yellow irises do.

Dark and light irises can even inhabit the same space successfully. The contrast adds flair, and balances out the exuberance and the moodiness.

Speaking of exuberance, I'm not sure what these flowers are either, but they are the happiest I've seen since the daffodils stopped blooming. They're pink, but they're so light and reflective that they might as well be white. I would love to have some of these someday.

What new plants have you discovered recently? What unexpected combinations have worked well in your yard or garden?

Next post: more red-hot summer action.