A Pair

Every so often a plant pair in my garden turns out to look exactly as I had planned it to look. My 'Therese Bugnet' roses and Siberian Iris are a perfect example of this today. I had to wait three years for this show. This is the first year the iris patch was big enough to have this impact against the three rose bushes. It was worth the wait and I couldn't be happier with the result. They provide a spectacular view out my dining room window that I appreciate several times a day.

I fell in love with the Siberian Iris in the neighbours garden and planted it before I even knew what it was. The buds made me think of bird of paradise and it buds for a long period to enjoy. Then when the blooms opened to be a totally different colour than the buds, I was immediately smitten. I still am.

Columbine

I love Columbine. I have not seen one I did not like be it single, double or nodding granny varieties like 'Nora Barlow'. Yet, I still have my favourite and this purple and yellow is it. I can't remember where it came from or what it is called. I have tried to divide and share it several times but divisions have had no success. I have also shared seed and so far no success. (Although I do wonder if three years from now Linda will have a garden overrun with them!) So eventhough it is my largest Columbine, I have decided not to risk another division. I have dug and potted up the entire plant. It barely fit in a pot and eventhough blooming when dug, it did not miss a beat, still full of flowers and standing tall.

Every year since we moved here, there has been a small Columbine baby that grows peeking out from under our front deck. Each year, I carefully dig it out and put it in the garden. The result is 4 small Columbine that have finally matured to flowering size. So this year it was a happy accident to find that this new Columbine is yellow with a very slight pink edge and looks fantastic together with my purple and yellow. Obviously, I had to pot up one of these to take as well. Seems like deciding to take just a few special things has not reduced the number of plants I have to haul!