First iris this spring

I have a fairly large number of iris in my gardens. (I had many more, but last year I thinned them out and gave them away to anyone who would take some!) As a result, I no longer know what ones I have and where they are planted. I mean, I know they are iris, but I don't know which colors they are. So here's a snapshot of the first one to bloom - a pale blue one. You can also see the orange/brown ones in bud. They will be next to open up, which should happen soon, if we get a warm sunny day. Today is warm, but still rainy. Oh well.





I stopped by my favorite nursery, Benke's, yesterday. That was a costly mistake, of course, as I couldn't resist buying 'just a few' more plants. These are mostly shade plants for the back yard, which is almost all shaded. They won't get planted until the weather turns a bit dryer. Digging in clay soil is hard enough without having to deal with mud as well! You can see the coleus and the Ostrich fern still in their pots. The other little plant on the right is something I've never grown before. It's a Rodgersia and is supposed to be good in deep shade, of which I have lots. Maybe this weekend they all will be in the ground.