An Iris by any other Name...

'Lorelei ' and 'Orange Perfection '

A newly divided clump of 'Lorelei ' in my renovated bed

Close up of 'Lorelei '

"She" has been gracing my Spring garden for the past forty years but I never knew her name until one of the Spring Fling visitors told me that my iris was an heirloom .

Her name is 'Lorelei ' , circa 1909 . A neighbor gave me a few rhizomes and as the clumps spread I divided and planted them all around the garden.

I've seen many varieties of iris but none that I like so well as my 'Lorelei'. She's the queen of my Spring garden . This year she is joined by 'Orange perfection ' and an amazingly fragrant light blue variety my daughter Cathy gave me, name unknown . I'm on a mission to find out its name because it has the most intense perfume I've ever smelled .

The Cultured Tomato

As the daughter of a farmer it was my job to dig holes for the rows of tomatoes we planted each Spring. I still chuckle at the memory of looking down the long row of holes I had meticiously created and seeing my cat use one as her potty. Too bad cat manure isn't beneficial for tomatoes.

In my small urban garden I have little space for growing vegetables but always make room for tomatoes. I may not have the biggest or tastiest tomatoes on my street but they are certainly the most cultured. I am practicing the art of thigmatrophy this year to see if it really works. Several times a day I touch them and tell them how wonderful they are. I also play music for them since the vibrations from it are known to increase production.

Tomato lovers are eager to share their methods of growing the perfect tomato. Some put salt, sugar, compost and wood ashes in the planting hole and others swear by rabbit manure. I planted mine in an organic soil mixture that supposedly contains everything the tomato could possibly desire. I've already got two small tomatoes so it must be working.

This year I am trying the Czech and Russian Heirloom varieties that are grown in the greenhouse at Gethsemanegardens . I will be the first in the neighborhood to harvest because I'll pick them when they are still green to make my traditional fried green tomatoes. Its odd that when you want ripe tomatoes all you can find are green and when you want the green they're all red. The only way around this is to grow your own.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY

Welcome, June ! I used to have a Chinese wisteria standard ( shown above ) but last year I had to dig it up and move it to another location. Unfortunately it didn't make it.

This Spring I noticed a vine winding its way up my fence from my neighbor's yard. When I looked closely I saw that it was the Wisteria that had sent up a shoot from its root. Instead of staying on that side of the fence it had come home.

I love wisteria and last year I planted the American variety which is more reliable -Kentucky blue moon. I'm happy to report that it has two fat flower buds on it right now.

It's raining again in Chicago. This is the rainiest Spring since the 1920's. We are due for some nice warm sunshine.