"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

Hello Friends!

Friends, Romans, countrymen...y'all. Foodies, gardeners, artists and collectors - let's gather together to share and possibly learn a thing or two in the mix.

Donna Baker

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Water World


Morning has broken.  The farm where I live is a watery world.  We haven't had this much rain in a long time.  So much, in fact, some roads are closed or washed out, even major highways.  It simply will not stop raining long enough to dry out.  Water stands in the fields.  There is no way I could get in my garden to plant veggies which should have been planted a month ago.  The strawberries are mush.  Did I tell you I dislike rain?  Always, I need sunny days.  The frogs and water lilies are happy though.  Can't believe I made it outside before the lily fully opened.



I have herbs to plant and lots of lavender.



Even my little apple tree that has born its first fruits this spring, is dying from all the rain and wet.  I watch it daily as more leaves turn brown.



Well, here is something that might interest you though I should have taken a better shot at a different angle.  The iris on the left are from plants more than 100 years old.  Merely 12 inches high.  The one on the right is nearly 2 feet higher.  Hybridization I guess.  

The left plants came from an old mountainside homestead.  The log cabin has long since rotted away, though the rock foundation remains.  I heard to look for flowers blooming around the old home to find where the front of the house had been.  This site had previously been in Indian Territory and I wonder where the iris and jonquils might have come from.  My guess is that they came in bulbs, across the country in a covered wagon, from the eastern part of the United States; a sweet reminder for immigrants of their homeland.

10 comments:

A Brit in Tennessee said...

I feel your pain.....
Back in May 2010 we had a thousand year flood, almost washed Nashville off the map, and folks are still rebuilding and repairing. That being said, we have NO rain...going on four weeks now, and farmers are ploughing their gardens under.
Your Iris are gorgeous, any perennials which have been salvaged from an old homestead are the most wonderful, I have several , and always think that the previous caretakers know I am trying my best to give them a good life.
Can you imagine all of those stories they could tell !
I planted Lemon Balm today *sigh*
Send us some rain.
~Jo

helen tilston said...

Hello Donna,
I hope the rain subsides.
The irises are so beautiful and lovely to know their provenance from the log cabin.
Hope your apple tree survives

donna baker said...

Jo, I am so surprised by that as you usually get what we get the next day. Guess it is all moving north. At least you are getting to garden and Oliver and his new girl are enjoying playing outside.

donna baker said...

Helen, make sure and post of your upcoming trip to Ireland. I have always wanted to go there. I hope the little apple tree makes it too. I am still hopeful.

jerilanders said...

I love the image of the pioneer woman's carefully packed bulbs and rhizomes; cherished items to start a new life and a new garden with. I found a little gathering of Iris in the woods, not far from the remaining foundation of an old house on our property. I transferred them to my garden as you did. I have no idea how old they are, but that house burned down over 75 years ago... isn't it grand that the Iris lived on?! You will be mighty grateful for that rain in a few weeks. We had buckets of rain for about 2 wks straight, now it is hot and sunny for 2 weeks and I am wishing for just one day of wet,

donna baker said...

I know Jeri. I will be moaning about the 100 degree plus days when summer arrives. I need that happy medium. 70 degrees and sunny skies, with rain only coming during night time. It is amazing to find stands of flowers in the middle of nowhere. If you poke around long enough, you can usually find signs of old homesteads. We found the place they dumped their trash; many bits of china and pottery and glass were dug up. The kids thought they were on a treasure hunt.

Debbie Nolan said...

Dear Donna- so sorry to hear about all your wet weather. For certain it seems like our weather patterns are extreme. Love those irises. Isn't it amazing about the one iris being over a hundred years old. Well wishing you drier weather and sunshine. Hugs!

La Table De Nana said...

I love this post..so happy You have some of the Irises..!
I love the images in my head too..of settlers with their treasures for the earth.

donna baker said...

Thank you Deb and it is still raining and predicted for most of next week also. Woe is me.

donna baker said...

I do too Monique. They really must be even older as the log cabin should have still had some of the wood remaining after 100 years. I also have some small flowered, cream colored narcissus from the front of the cabin. It was such a different life back then.