Busy Second Sunday of Easter

[nman_in_black]

The day sped by

Comments

[jessofthebugs]

I would very much like to see pictures of your Irises, they sound beautiful. There's something exciting about watching a flower bloom, even though its beauty is ephemeral. In the case of Irises, you know that they'll be back again and again. For me, it's kind of like waiting for Christmas when you're a kid. I get very excited about watching the world bloom - a new thing blossoming every week. I guess that this is partly why I was called to the sort of priesthood that I was - or possibly to priesthood at all.
My chamomile is blooming. I only have one plant this year and I'm not sure it will re-seed (all my plants are in pots), but it did come up and that makes me happy. I also discovered that my blue flax, Linum perenne, is finally blooming. I've only seen one bud so far, but I'm very excited. I'm also planning on getting some geraniums (Iris says she wants pink ones) and marigolds. I'm not sure what else. My pansies are really blooming nicely and my sage and mints are also doing very well. Of course, it's hard to kill those

Iris seedlings and others

[nman_in_black]

I have a webpage on WebShots, URL: http://community.webshots.com/user/nmogens... )

Re: Iris seedlings and others

[jessofthebugs]

I'm partial to R30-5. I'm not sure why. I keep going back to that picture just to look at it. I also like the power woman/fogbound cross (R19-2) because it has that rich color and the top reminds me of a lady with pin curls. And I like how it kind of blushes blue.
Power Woman has an interesting shape to it and I love that deeeeep color it has. R24-5 is just stunning. If I had it in my garden, I'd want to put it next to something yellow or several somethings yellow just to kind of frame it and make it really stand out.
Those are my favorites, I think. I tend toward really deep, rich, bright colors and not so much pastels. Iris likes yellow, so she tells me her favorite is R 60-yellowNumb3, the Lotus Land X P 1-9.
Is the SB04-A the one that's SB 11-13: Barbara My Love X Keppel 99-41A?

Iris seedlings....

[nman_in_black]

SB 04-A and the SB 11 seedlings (there are several of each cross) are of the same pattern, and half-sibs with the same mama. The other parents are related too. But SB 04-A has a much better form and substance than 11-13, and is peach instead of creamy buff-yellow. I want to cross the two, but SB 11-13 isn't blooming this year, and SB o4-A probably won't next, as the two fans surviving from this year are damaged by leaf-cutting insects and are quite small. I can try to encourage their growth, and will

[jessofthebugs]

If the R60s are the same yellow ones I'm thinking of, there may yet be some survivors. Last year there were blooms everywhere by the deck. Iris was simply thrilled. There are some of the yellow ones that I think they moved to the front. I asked Iris what they were and she said "That's a yellow iris flower. Yellow is my favorite color." I'll see if I can get pictures of them.

A short explanation of seedling numbers

[nman_in_black]

Jess. the numbers like "R 60-n" refer to cross-pollinizations between varieties. R means the year, 60 was the sixtieth cross that year, the last number the place in the row (if known) or some other unique code for that plant. Each of these grew from a single seed and are unique. The parents are the best of the best of the current market avilable to me. The yellow you have also came from a seed, and is probably an iris with a name if one knew it, dating possibly from the 1920's or 30's and an "historic" if one could identify it. The one you use in the photo is an "amoena" (its color pattern" and may be one of several early diploids, but I am not sure which. I've looked at photos of "knowns" and tried to match it and it is close but not identical to those I've examined. It may be another unknown from way, way back and of some value to someone. I'd love to grow it if I could still garden. What I have is in pots or weeds, but some are blooming anyway. I must get them cleaned up and can't do the work now. I've a cracked rib on

Re: A short explanation of seedling numbers

[jessofthebugs]

ooooOOOOh.
I'm not up on the lingo, as you can tell. *blush* But yeah, that makes more sense now.

The yellows I'm talking about are in Becky's yard, which I thought perhaps you had bred. I don't have any in my little garden right now and the squirrels around here tend to eat any bulbs I have in pots. I was pretty mad about my poor hyacinth last year. Do you know of any way I can keep the squirrels out of my pots?

My husband and I are looking for a house and Mom is planning on giving me some of the irises from the photo for my yard. I know I'm going to plant those. I have *no idea* from whence they came except that we got them directly from my Mamaw's house and I believe she's the one that originally planted them. They've been there as long as I can remember. I'll ask Mom what she knows about them.

What you need is an assistant. Someone to do the grunt work while you direct. (I am *SO* tempted)

I hope you heal well. I do not approve of you being hurt.

Jargon and such

[nman_in_black]

Every specialization ever known tends to develop its own unique language to describe items and processes that are opaque to one not "in the know." I remember when I first started reading terms like "amoena" I was totally bewildered. The same thing happened with photography. It took me weeks to discover, by accident, that "SLR" meant "Single Lens Reflex," and I said, "Oh!" I was ticked--nowhere could I find a glossary or set of terms that explained

[jessofthebugs]

Ah, biology terms I know. I am not phased by "diploid" and "tetraploid". I could even go so far as "haploid gametes"! -I knew that degree was good for something ;)
Seedless watermelons, if I'm not mistaken, are also tetraploid - one of the reasons they are "seedless."

Iris pseudacorus huh? Funny that something so pretty could be considered a weed. But I guess if it's clogging the irrigation systems, it *is* a weed.
The fleur-de-lis is one of my favorite design elements because it's an elegant graphic representation of something you find in real life. (See? There *I* go with "design elements" and "graphic representation") I use it quite a lot in both representational and non-representational art. <--- hey, look! more lingo! Golly, I love words.
I have them painted in green and gold on my red rocking chair, painted on one of my bookshelves in red and yellow, in red and yellow on my dresser, and as the finials of a curtain rod that I have in my bedroom. I did a picture of a pot of ivy where I drew fleur-de-lis as the wallpaper.

the day after your funeral

[butch_lebeau]

I guess this is just the easist way of writing you a letter or whatnot, even if you'll never read it.

I love you, I miss you. I'm sorry I didn't write or call or visit or even comment on LJ more often. I could have known you so much better, but I gave up my chances, and now there are none. I hope that you are happy and at peace.

Re: the day after your funeral

[sabre_hawke]

As butch_lebeau's post implies, nman_in_black passed away from complications from pneumonia what was itself a complication of a long battle with esophogeal cancer on Sunday, May 21, at 8:10am. Funeral services were held at St. Barnabas' Catholic Church on the following Tuesday in Arden, NC. He is survived by his second wife, Dorothy and her 6 kids and multiple grandchildren, three daughters Lucy, Abby, and Becky, and "adopted" daughter, Cat, and mucho lots of grandchildren -- in age (oldest to youngest) Brian 19, Sarah 17, Caitlin 15, Bridget 15, Rob (deceased, who would be 14), Joshua 13, Rhiannon 12, Nicholas 12, Graysen 10, Sean 7, Morgan 6, Rowan 5, and step-granchild Daelin, age 2. He will be greatly missed.

Re: the day after your funeral

[butch_lebeau]

Caitlin isn't 15, is she? I thought she was younger than Bridey.

Re: the day after your funeral

[sabre_hawke]

I think she's only a few months younger -- and I'm not sure exactly of that. I think you are probably right. But she's still 15 -- Bridey will be 16 in August. Nyeah-