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Spring or fall, it nearly always rains on our Iris as they open. These Iris never seem to mind. They hold up to downpours and wind better than most any other flower we grow. A lone bee hummed around this first Iris of autumn as I photographed it late this afternoon.
We’ve been watching this stalk of blooms grow for several weeks, and finally, today, the first bud has opened.
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The rain falling on our garden these last few days has made the ground soft again, and has awakened many of the bulbs we’ve planted this fall. We welcome the rain, and enjoy the life it brings to the garden. These fall Crocus popped up very suddenly, almost overnight, blooming for their first season in our garden.
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Everywhere we find flowers blooming. Fall is our second spring, and we treasure these days of warmth before winter settles over us again.
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Photos by Woodland Gnome 2015
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Reblooming Iris ‘Rosalie Figge’
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Thanks to Anna of Flutter and Hum for hosting Wednesday Vignettes each week.
Forest Garden 
I have several Iris that promised to be reblooming but never have they done so.
Rickii, the breeder/grower I purchased these from warned me that rebloomers perform differently in different regions of the country. I purchased the rebloomer ‘Rock and Roll,’ bred on the West Coast, from another source. He warned me it probably wouldn’t re-bloom in Virginia… and so far he has been right. Something about the day length and specific light conditions triggers the re-bloom. Of the 5 or 6 varieties I own billed as ‘re-bloomers,’ Rosalie Figge is the only one showing signs of buds or blooms. You might look into West Coast bred re-blooming Iris through your contacts, and choose one reliable in OR. I just ordered 6 more reblooming varieties from Breck’s this fall. Am looking forward to seeing how they perform over the next few years. Best wishes, WG
I have come to look forward to the reblooming iris in the fall. Yours are beautiful. I will be on the lookout for that variety.
Thank you, John. Ours came from a breeder and grower in the Richmond area. I can give you his information, or send you a division if you want to give me your contact information. You can email me privately at woodlandgnome@zoho.com
Irises in October? Wow – that’s worthy of a celebration… 🙂
I can almost smell it! Such a rich, dark purple, it’s gorgeous.
Oh, and it smells so intense and sweet, Eliza!
We need a scratch and sniff option on WP! 😉