Look what I found: Iris germanica 'Dover Beach' (?)

I have a feeling that all of my plant identifications from here on out will include question marks.  For the most part, I can tell the family and species of plants, but once you get down to varieties, I'm lost.





Bloom detail

 I knew this was an Iris germanica, also known as a bearded iris.  Other than weeds and vines, there were two plants growing in the backyard of the old house when we moved in: a clump of struggling purple bearded iris and a wild red rose.  I began a program of dividing and thinning the iris and before I knew it, they were thriving everywhere.  I started trading with some friends and neighbors, and soon I had six different types.  I've grown to love bearded iris.  They're not native, they're ridiculously gaudy and they have a limited bloom period, but for some reason, they hold a special place in my heart.


Habit

I hadn't tried to identify bearded iris before, I just called them by the color of their bloom.  I didn't even know the correct terminology for the parts of the flower.  The three upright petals are called standards and the three drooping petals are called falls.  The fuzzy thing that resembles a chenille pipe cleaner is the beard.

For some reason, I always thought the largest "fall" was the beard.  I guess you learn something new everyday, huh?

I did a search for a iris that had the following characteristics:

• Early bloomer
• Tall
• Fragrant
• Ruffled
• White Standards
• Blue/Purple Falls
• White Beard

The only result that looked anything like my iris was 'Dover Beach'.  I'm not especially convinced -- mine seems to have more ruffles and might be a little more blue.  Like the many other plants I'm on the fence about, I guess I'll have to keep my eyes open.

Do you have a favorite bearded iris?

Look what I found: Salvia nemerosa 'Carradonna' (?)

I found two possible Salvia nemerosa plants in the mailbox bed.  Now that the azaleas are losing their flowers, the tall purple spikes of flowers are very welcome.  The plants are about 18 inches tall with a 12 inch spread.

I thought they might be 'May Night' since it started blooming pretty early for a salvia, but the leaves seem different.  The stems on my plants are a very noticeable purple, which pointed me in the direction of 'Carradonna'.  However, 'Carradonna' isn't supposed to bloom until June.  I guess I'll learn more about it as the summer goes on -- if it reblooms, then I have more evidence for 'Carradonna'.  If it doesn't flop during our typical humid summer, that could be evidence against 'Carradonna'.  Stay tuned!  (I can tell you're on the edge of your seats).

What do you think?  Does this salvia look familiar to you?

Garden Parts: The Mailbox



This is another bed that needs some work.  It is out in front of the house and is one of the first things anyone who pulls into the driveway sees.  Although it looks good right now, it is mostly azalea and will be pretty boring once they're done blooming. 



The top photo is this week, the bottom is from a couple of weeks ago...the flowers make a big difference.

There are two other shrubs in this bed - one unidentified deciduous and one shrub rose (possibly a knockout).  As far as perennials go, there is a clump of bearded iris, a couple of salvias, and a possible astilbe.  Earlier in the spring, a couple of clumps of daffodils came up along with a scattering of grape hyacinth.

   

The current plan

I really need to find a better way to draw garden plans...this is totally not to scale.  The grey part is a concrete slab that extends behind the mailbox -- I'm not sure what that's for or whether we can get rid of it.  The green plants are labelled, everything else is an azalea.

What I'd like to do:

• Incorporate some evergreen shrubs into this bed.  Even with the "evergreen" azaleas, over the winter this bed looks like a bunch of dead bushes.  If we can remove part of the concrete slab, I'd like to move the two boxwoods from the island bed to either side of the mailbox.  Then, I'd put three tallish nandinas (Gulf Stream?  maybe even taller) behind the mailbox in a loose triangle formation.
• Incorporate some perennials that will flower in the summer and fall.  The salvias are a good start, but not enough.  Between the azaleas and the mailbox, I'd put some taller things: more bearded iris, monarda, perovskia, shasta daisies, and possibly some lillies.
• Round out the bed a little.  I'd like to make it a little bigger and less boxy.  At the same time, I'd like to fill in the outside of the azaleas so there's a transition between the shrubs and the lawn.  I'd prefer to use shorter evergreen-ish perennials to do this, things like arabis, aremeria, dianthis, iberis, lavender, phlox (xreeping), rosemary, sedum (creeping varieties), sempervivum, and thyme.
• Plant a couple of clematis vines (or something else) that can be trained over the mailbox.

This is one of the only spots in the garden with a lot of sun, so it is really the only area for me to enjoy my favorite sun perennials.  My biggest concern is whether I be able to keep up with weeding, deadheading, and dividing.  In my old yard, my perennial beds got quite shabby at times, but it didn't matter since they were hidden in the back.  In this yard, it will be out for everyone to see.

I have lots of time to think about it.  Unlike the island bed, I do not plan on doing much more in the mailbox bed this year than weeding, replacing the mulch, and planting some annuals.
Do you have a mailbox bed?  What works and what doesn't work for you?