I was out early this morning for a quick walk, and a search for something about gardens that would appeal to you.
Aside for some pretty cistus plants and a few dandelions it was pretty slim pickin’s until I came to the Anglican church’s small side garden which contains some lovely dark blue iris which I believe are one of the so-called Dutch iris. These are slender plants, some of them five or more feet tall. The ones I saw were only were about 18 inches in height, but the most wonderful dark blue. The more robust iris, with big, bold flowers with heavier falls (the petals that droop down close to the stem) has much larger blooms.
Himself gave me one in bloom some years ago that was so purple it was nearly black. It has never flowered since, although I fertilize it, and water it faithfully, but it is in a pot, and I assume it hates it there, but it doesn’t have a lot of choice unless I give it to someone who has an actual garden.
So far I have resisted doing this for purely sentimental reasons, but Jim’s daughter-in-law is a great gardener so I think I’ll give it to her. Maybe next year it will flower and I can go to their home in Victoria and view it there. She was very fond of Jim so it would seem appropriate, wouldn’t it? Ridiculous I know, but I’ll miss it, although it will not bloom for me, and this spring was covered in black aphids until I sprayed it with a mixture of dish soap and water (one-quarter teaspoon in a one litre spray bottle seems to work well).
Fill the sprayer with the water first then add the soap or you’ll be up to your chin in soap bubbles.
Helen Lang has been the Peninsula News Review’s garden columnist for more than 25 years.
