Irises in Bloom

I just love irises!  They are so beautiful and elegant.  They are also VERY hardy which is pretty important for me!  I need the kind of bulbs that can overwinter well.  I do not like to dig my bulbs up and replant, too much trouble!  Many years ago I was able to get a bunch of irises from my mother-in-law and I have enjoyed them immensely ever since.  I have several different colors including several shades of purple. I had acquired and planted some cannas a year or so back and I failed to dig them up before the winter and I lost them.  I was so sad, cannas are also very beautiful.

These are planted outside of the chicken yard to help beautify it.  I will be transplanting more in the near future.  We have been landscaping around the chicken pens and I will be so happy when it is finally completed.  It has been a work in progress and some days are better than others!  One of my other absolute favorites is evening primrose.  I used to have a really good batch of it in my front flower beds, but over time other things have choked it out.  I am working on getting it re-established in some of my back flower beds.  I am also going to try to get some established in at least two of my deck planters.

The apple mint continues to thrive everywhere and the chickens enjoy eating it too.  I just love it and it makes some of the best tea!  I have also successfully made some yummy apple mint jelly with it.  I will be dehydrating a bunch of it very soon hopefully for future tea and other uses I find for it.

What's new in your garden or flower beds?  Do you have favorites or unique plants?