J, who usually brings us cheese, brought us some Dutch Iris on her visit before last. They were a superstore deal and some had already started to sprout. So I took a perambulation around the garden - front and back - finding sufficiently warm and fertile spots and planting them at the correct depth (never one of my strong points). After that there was the usual barricade with small twigs and lengths of bamboo to prevent our resident blackbirds pecking around the newly disturbed soil.
I wonder, as I have posted before, if enjoying irises is a sign of increasing years. When we first arrived L gave us some delightful iris reticulata as a housewarming present. They used to grow on the plot under the apple trees and I still cherish a shot of them stored on my mobile. But alas in our soggy clay soil they failed to thrive.
Better suited are the big irises from my family, and some additional Dutch Iris from R who lives south of the river in a slightly warmer spot. These she propagated herself and they were fine last year. I regularly inspect J's gift and so far they have survived the cold and the birds, though they may take some time to acclimatise.
Next time J arrived I took her on a tour of my recent plantings. She arrived with cheese.
