Shhhh Iris are sleeping!

Today I tucked them all in before the really cold nasty weather arrives. I have one still with a big fat bud, it looks really odd sticking up above the straw! None have opened though, and we are supposed to get lower 20s tonight and 30s tomorrow. I'm sure they will be frozen after that.

Dusty dusty dusty!

Do I look as tired as I am?

nite nite, see you in April

It's November already???

I can not believe it's Nov.1st already! I just today finished weeding , cleaning and trimming all the iris beds. Next will be the winter straw cover. I wait until the ground freezes and then get the straw on fast before it might have  a chance to thaw/refreeze. This is deadly to the iris as it rips the roots from the rhizome.
I've taken a few pictures of my cleanup progress..They look so small and nekkid!

The MESS before seen here.

I have three that are determined to fall bloom. I don't know if they will make it before it freezes too hard. They are incredibly late!

This one has EIGHT buds in the fans!! 

Zee always tries, but alas...too late in the year.

AND I had a couple visitors while I was out today! One flew by, the other slinked thru the trees.

And now it's past my bedtime and I have one that is bugging me to get to bed.

A funny for today

On the Lighter Side

A recent study indicated that fabric gives off certain Pheromones that actually hypnotize women and cause them to purchase unreasonable amounts. When stored in large quantities in enclosed spaces, the Pheromones (in the fabric) causes memory loss and induces the nesting syndrome (similar to the one squirrels have before the onset of winter i.e. storing food). Therefore perpetuating their species and not having a population loss due to their kind being cut into pieces and mixed with others.

Sound tests have also revealed that these fabrics emit a very high pitched sound, heard only by a select few, a breed of women know as “quilters”. When played backwards on an LP, the sounds are heard as chants, “buy me, cut me and sew me”.

In order to overcome the so called “feeding frenzy effect” that these fabrics cause, one must wear a face mask when entering a storage facility and use ear plugs to avoid being pulled into their grip. One must laugh, however, at the sight of customers in a quilt fabric store, with WWII army gas masks and headphones!

Studies have also indicated that aliens have inhabited the earth, helping to spread the effects that these fabrics have on the human population. They are called QUILT FABRIC STORE CLERKS.

It’s also been experienced that these same Pheromones cause a pathological need to hide these fabric purchases when taken home (or at least blend them into the existing stash), and when asked by significant other if the fabric is new, the reply is “I’ve had it for awhile.”

~ Author unknown

Time to get busy Sewing!

There are still many things to be done in the gardens, but I must start getting things made for the craft show in Elizabeth on Oct 8 & 9.  I'm taking some pics to post on Etsy and my web page, for the folks who don't live near by.
Here are some of the shoppers favorite items.

I have sooo many new things I want to get done for this show. I better get BUSY!!

2011 Iris selling season is done...

But boy do I have a lot of work that needs to be done out there yet! Seems the weeds loved that 10" of rain we got last month. They are not slowing down, and I'm doing my best to keep them yanked out.  I now know, using the Preen DOES help!!  I had weeds with it, but nothing like this.

We've been debating putting in a new garden in our other lot. It has good drainage and I could just have them in the ground. No raised beds to build or dirt to haul in.No straw to cover them?   I'd plant in rows like a cornfield, and hopefully it would be easier to weed and dig from. First we need to find someone to remove the sod. I know just tilling it in will only lead to lots of grass pulling.  It's getting too late to do it this year, I might try just a small strip. I do have some iris that are getting way to big for their space, and could spare a few if it didn't work out well.

I'll post pics soon of my progress sewing for the Elizabeth craft show . YIKES it's coming up fast!

Wow, where did JULY go?!!

the daylily didn't mind the rain at all!

We're just now starting to see some Monarch's. I don't know if the 10" of rain helped or what, but there are now several flittering around the yard. I don't think I will have time to raise any this year. I'm just too much behind with iris orders. Hopefully the extreme heat, and excessive rain are over now. I'm so glad we spent all the time to build the raised beds for the iris. Or they would have been washed out and sitting in a pond. They are drying out well now, the past two days have been HOT and sunny. 

The sunflower was sad after so much rain.

Flooded around the big locust tree.

the zinnia were very wet too.

Sooo glad we raised them up!

see how far it washed the straw out in the grass. 

ick, mukky messy straw

Actually flipped this side of the bed up and off !so the water was running higher than the board

Not so deep now, but the iris would be in it if they weren't in raised beds. This is 24 hours + after the rain.

the little stream running around some of the beds. 

We liked it!

The lovely pic my son snapped of me in my home-made wash-station. See all the clean roots to the right? Almost done for that day. He said my stylin apron was very "hippie". Hey it keeps me dry! It's actually tablecloth material.

Where are all the Butterflies????

Every summer we have Monarchs laying eggs on the milkweed and butterfly weed. I've planted tons of it so they have lots of food. I also had hubby help me build some hatchery boxes. Monarch eggs have a tough time. They have many predators from wasps to mice.  So taking the eggs to a protected place gives them an almost certain chance to make it to the butterfly stage. On their own it's only 1 or 2 in 10 eggs that make it!
These are pics from 2 years ago when I released over 200 Monarchs! :D

But this year, I only see one flitting around occasionally. And I've yet to find a single egg. No caterpillars, nothing. :(  What happened? Was it the hurricane while they were migrating back up north? I hope they show up soon so I can  raise some more. My granddaugher Zoe likes to help. She says they tickle when you hold them.

The butterfly weed is in full bloom. A few bees have found it (another thing that seems in short supply this year).

Do you have any Monarchs in your gardens?

Grow grow grow!!

A few pretty Iris pictures since I'm too busy to get fresh ones! And I didn't think pics of me sitting at the computer would be very interesting!

Wild Angel

Abstract Art

Diva Do

Footloose

Lupine volunteers!

Judy Mogil

Compare rose and purple

Strawberry Swirl

Whispering Spirits

The iris are growing and the weather is warming up again. yeaa! I finally got thru the cleanup of the spent stems, and too-happy weeds. Now I just go out each day and take my hoe for about 30 minutes and attack the aggressive ones. If you have purslane where you are, you know what a feeling of "never going to win" weed it is. 

I'm frantically trying to get all my iris counts updated. Please accept my apology if you order and I'm out of stock. Orders are coming in steady -THANK YOU :) - and sometimes it's hard to keep ahead. And there is always the occasional iris fan flop-over (dead)  loss :(  

 Plus my Etsy shop is busy and I don't want to delay those orders. So I work from about 8am to 9pm daily. I used to be able to work to 1am, but I gotta have my sleep to get any work done, now that I'm old!! 

Two weeks till I start to dig orders.YIKES! 

 In that time I HAVE to finish listing them on ebay, (my goal is by friday this week), and updating counts on my web site. AND I have this HUGE pile of craft "stuff" (a nicer word for crap) in the garage that I must get sorted. It's taking up half the garage! It's either going to the trash or goodwill, or maybe I'll save a pile to de-stash after Iris season. But it's in my way for packing iris! So it has to be dealt with now too. Oh my, I do need those 3 or 4 clones right about now. eeep!

Maybe more chocolate would help! :p

Hubby and I are talking about peeling off another big chunk of yard and spreading out the iris into long rows. Hopefully easier for tilling (and my back), and to be able to increase them quicker . They love to have room!

Plus, he won't mind a bit less to mow of our 3 acre yard! He only said "NO MORE trees or bushes, too many circles already!"  Good thing he has a zero turn mower!