Seen at Schreiner's Iris Gardens - No. 3

From the Web site The Flower Expert: The word Iris means rainbow. Iris is the flower of the Greek goddess Iris who is the messenger of Love. In the language of flowers Iris symbolizes eloquence.

Since Iris is the Greek goddess for the Messenger of Love, her sacred flower is considered the symbol of communication and messages. Therefore the flower iris in the language of flowers symbolizes eloquence. Based on their color, irises convey varied messages. A purple iris is symbolic of wisdom and compliments. A blue iris symbolizes faith and hope. A yellow iris symbolizes passion while white iris symbolizes purity. A gift of iris can be used to convey many emotions.



Happiest iris I saw!



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Nine

Seen at Schreiner's Iris Gardens - No. 2

The spikes of color that are lupine are among my favorite sights to see at Schreiner's. Here are a few of them as the focus of some of the hundreds of photos that I took on Monday. There are iris and delphinium here, too.



I'm curious. Do you like this wide shot better than the two close-ups that follow.



Closer.



Closest.



Purple and mauve.



Pink and mauve.



Pink and white.



Purple and white.



Purple and white, again.



Pink and mauve.



Plein air painters among the lupine and other blossoms.



Lots of lupine mixed with iris.



More lupine and iris and delphinium. I can't get enough of these flowers which is why I went there for the fourth year in a row on Monday.



Purple and mauve, again, with green allium on the left and iris to the left as well as behind.



Leland photographing some of the beauty at Schreiner's.



Big-brimmed straw hat among the lupine and other blossoms. I wanted the hat to be in focus and got lucky with my zoom lens.

Seen at Schreiner's Iris Gardens - No. 1

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When you get there before 99% of the folks coming on Memorial Day, you easily park you car on the gray gravel and hard-packed dirt lot and walk across a paved area towards the buildings and the gardens. These colors combined at the left end of the first row of flower beds grabs you right away, getting your appreciation juices flowing.



I'm old, outta shape, overweight, yet I tried to stand still, hold my breath, lean in, bend over, squat if necessary, and take decent photos. All of them didn't turn out to be highest quality, but for the impression of the beauty and the joy at being able to witness it, I think they're just fine.



Absolutely mind-blowing in their intricacies and vividness.



If you've ever been to an iris bulb grower's place and been lucky enough that said iris bulb grower takes great pride it showing its wares at their best, then you know how much joy I feel every time I go to Schreiner's. And how much relief I feel because I don't have any dirt to grow anything in, so I don't have to try to narrow done selections to purchase and plant.

Happy 4th of July

A poppy, a dogwood, and an iris provide me with the proper patriotic, Happy Birthday to America! colors for today's collage. I found these beauties on my Zipcar trip to Schreiner's on Memorial Day, 2013.

Sunshine captured

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In my old neighborhood, I came across these iris almost exactly three years ago, May 10, 2010. See the sunshine captured in each blossom, glowing golden and deep purple, as well as subtle lavender?

Artsy fun with Monet's Blue irises which I saw on Memorial Day at Schreiner's Iris Gardens, Salem, Oregon

One version of the Be Funky artsy effect, underpainting.
 

Another version of the Be Funky artsy effect, underpainting.
 

The actual beautiful irises.
 

A different view of Monet's Blue irises, as altered by Be Funky's artsy effect underpainting.
 

The actual beautiful irises. About Monet's Blue from the Schreiner's online catalog. It is a tall bearded, light blue iris originated by Schreiner in 1998. The description. Boldly ruffled petals finished in soft heavenly blue elicit the same shimmering feeling conveyed in the works of Claude Monet. Each flower is saturated in this lovely blue color, as close to "true" blue as an iris comes. Its tall stems consistently produce three branches and a spur with 7-8 buds. Growth habit is vigorous.

Heavenly Iris

First let me apologize for forgetting the monthly theme day. And for not having time or energy to look at all of your posts right now. I will at some point, and I know I will find them to be impressive.



Last May I found this flower in a front yard, off Burnside in SE Portland. Naturally I thought it was beautiful and started to take a photo. Imagine my surprise when the homeowner, who saw me looking, said, "Smell it. It smells like grape Kool-Aid." I took a sniff, not knowing what to expect. She was so right. Neat-o!

Here's an interesting bit about the iris, in general, that I found by using Google:

This next piece of information is not exactly a legend, but we found it to be one of the neatest things we read. The flower got its name from the Greek goddess Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Iris was also know to be the messenger of Zeus and Hera. Iris would take messages from "the eye of Heaven" to earth travelling on the arc of the rainbow. The word iris means "eye of heaven". It was the name given to the goddess, this flower, and the center of your eye. This means that each of us carries a piece of heaven with us.

Update:

Mama moved to the bed by the window today. She says it's cooler on that side of the room, so she wraps up in a blanket while sitting in her chair. I'm going to take her warm vests with me when I go over there tomorrow. And a small footstool for her little feet. She said she worked about two hours this morning and one hour this afternoon in therapy. I told her that all of us are very proud of her and how hard she's working.

Duncan didn't have any accidents last night; we sort of slept on the couch. I've been fighting falling asleep sitting at my desk at work and on the bus and now at the computer. In a few minutes, I'll be stretched out on the couch.

He also didn't have any accidents today while I was at work. Lamont came over at 11 a.m. and took him out where he successfully did his business. That meant that I didn't come home to a mess myself--hooray. He's ready for me to hit the couch.

One thing before I go, please add to your prayers the safety of Lamont and his girlfriend Lindsay, and Leland, as they ride their bicycles to visit Mama, to meet her at the doctor, to our apartment to check on Duncan. Thank you so much.