Nature's packaging

[Davejl]

Flag Iris (bearded iris, I think). Only a few days ago it looked as though there were just leaves and no flower buds and then the buds appeared out of the swelling in the side of the leaf.

[marlunn]

nice, and if its like mine then the slugs eat the flower stalk below the buds just as they try to open !

[Davejl]

nice, and if its like mine then the slugs eat the flower stalk below the buds just as they try to open !

Thanks. Are they those 6" long brown slugs I've seen in Wales? I'm fairly lucky with these flowers. The leaves are munched by small snails, but the flowers seem to be left alone. (I took some photos of a snail caught in the act the other day., but something went wrong with my shots...).

Dave

[marlunn]

yep - and a few of the big garden snails. One plant took 3 yrs to get to bud, - got to the point the first flower was about to open, it rained that night and the full stem was totally chewed off in the morning, 'slightly peeved' was the wife !

Dont forget to post the image of the flower in all its glory so we csan see what a nice present nature had wrapped up for us

[IzzieK]

Slugs? Put a container with beer in your garden bed and they will all go there and get drunk and collect your container in the morning to get rid of them. Do it again when you see some more until they are all gone. Easy peasy...unless your snails are German-bred they don't usually get drunk....

[Ziggy]

Really like the curves in the second one.

[marlunn]

Slugs? Put a container with beer in your garden bed and they will all go there and get drunk and collect your container in the morning to get rid of them. Do it again when you see some more until they are all gone. Easy peasy...unless your snails are German-bred they don't usually get drunk....

criminal waste of beer - better way, fill a glass with beer - go into garden drinking beer in evening and when you find slugs collect in plant pot and dispose of in a humane way - or sprinkle them with salt and give manic laugh as they die (nasty)

finish beer go inside and relax

and apologies for sliding off subject

[Davejl]

yep - and a few of the big garden snails. One plant took 3 yrs to get to bud, - got to the point the first flower was about to open, it rained that night and the full stem was totally chewed off in the morning, 'slightly peeved' was the wife !

Dont forget to post the image of the flower in all its glory so we csan see what a nice present nature had wrapped up for us

Oddly, flag iris are one of the few "non weed" plants I can grow in my garden! Will post the flower.

[Davejl]

Just in case I'm away when they are at their best this year, here are a couple of the flowers from previous flowerings. There are several different shades growing.

[IzzieK]

Oh so beautiful -- multi-coloured too. This is my hubby's favourite flower of all -- an iris, because it reminds him of his mother who also loves irises. Thank you for showing this one. Bill loves it very much.

[Davejl]

Oh so beautiful -- multi-coloured too. This is my hubby's favourite flower of all -- an iris, because it reminds him of his mother who also loves irises. Thank you for showing this one. Bill loves it very much.

That's great, Izzie