Speaking of backs, I am on my way to the chiropractor myself this afternoon! I go twice a week so I know how you feel! After a day in the garden my back just aches. However the pleasure I get out of digging and planting and watching things grow and reward me with blooms is worth it! I'm totally addicted to grdening and even when I'm feeling tired I always find myself drawn outside. Just think of how much your flowers will appreciate the clean-up effort you're doing and how good they'll look after. Let that thought help push you! Besides, discovering you've lost an iris to rot is a worse feeling than any back ache! haha Good luck!
Jason

Kay,

Please take a look at your pictures of your gardens and all of the positive comments from others about how much they enjoy your gardens.

Do it for yourself first and others second.

our thoughts are with you

mr toad

Just think of how beautiful those iris beds are. But still, an acking back is no fun at all.

It would be a sin to deprive us of your beautiful pictures! Do take it easy though, we don't want you to seriously hurt yourself.

Thank youso much for the well wishes.

I haver finished one bed and about a fifth of the way through the second one /the new bed is fine, thank good ness.

The weather last night added debris and a great deal of water...With the temp and all, had I wanted until the first of the week, I would have had several iris on their wasy to oblivion.

For some reason, it has been a real struggle to work out there today, and I have taken several breaks.. DH was worried enough to offer to help, but I fear neither he nor the iris would profit from that...but it was very sweet of him since he is not one who cares for gardening.

I have a couple of new blooms that I will post here:

Roaring Twenties: One of the iris with a bit of rot already trying to start:

This is Keith Keppel's Rainbow High. I have waited a year for it to bloom (didn't bloom last year) and I really love it:

kay

Well, you sure have to save those two, they are both beauties. I love the ruffles on Roaring Twenties, & the brilliance of the other one, looks like a neon rainbow.

these two are simply gorgeous - you have chosen colors well for your garden

mr toad

I agree with Nancy. That first is so nicely ruffled and I love the coloring on the second one.

Do you get flooding in the garden because I can see in your pictures that you are downhill from the road. Maybe all the junk from the road washes down to the garden :-((

Rita,
I have it terraced to prevent that though you probably can't tell with the foliage. The wind was unbelievable. Even early morning with the sun out and no sign of storms yet, the wind was so strong I was afraid to work outside except totally away from the trees.

Then we had much, much more wind with almost 2 inches of rain. Iris didn't like it. Every old bloom that I broke off today poured water. Every place on an iris that could hold water, did hold water.

Renee, I bought Starship Enterprise in 2009. It got rot. I managed to save it, and it has increased in size. I'm hoping for my first bloom next year on it. I do love this Rainbow High bloom. The colors are lovely. Of course I would manage to break one of the bloom spikes today working in the bed, but what can you say. I had to do it.
kay

It's been a bad year. Fingers crossed that next year will be easier. Rainbow High is beautiful- I bought Starship Enterprise four years ago and it still hasn't bloomed. Maybe I'll try Rainbow High.
Renee

Both blooms are beauties for sure! Rainbow High is such a fantastic colour, love it! Glad you got your flower beds cleaned up. Indeed, it doesn't sound like a fun job. Hope your back held out for you. Here's hoping the rest of the season will have much better weather conditions!
Jason

I hope all the bad weather is over so that your stunning garden get get back to normal.

Those are Beauties!! Hope your back feels better.Know that you have a lot of companions in the "back ache" dept.
Kathi

Thank you all. I am almost through, and most of the ones left have gotr to come up and be divided this time. I am planting roses if the rain holds off tomorrow, and I will then finish the little bit left.

I do need to weed the country garden, and I've got to pull up pansies and finish the petunias....but I have a few days off.
kay