Spanish bluebells here are a late spring bloomer--no buds yet. Well, the magnolia did get hit by a hard late freeze, but it was so well budded, it could afford to have a number of buds browned. Here, daffodils were nice for a while, but got pelted with heavy rain and above normal temps. Flowers sagged then.

You all are killing me with those beautiful floral photos. Mother Nature is currently playing a late April Fool's joke on us. We are getting SNOW. I still had some leftover snow in the shady areas of my yard but it had mostly melted. I have no sightings of any spring bulbs at all. They are still slumbering. Normally I would have signs of the daffodil foliage beginning to show. The only thing that is brave enough to bloom are the hellebore. They were just getting ready to open when this happened.....

Brad, that happened with a lot of my daffodils also but mainly due to massive rains for weeks. Your bluebells are so pretty. There is an interstate close to my area that has native redbuds planted along a hundred mile stretch. They are glorious when in bloom. In a week or so, the red clover and wild Shasta like daisies will be in the medians of that same interstate. I love it when States plant trees and flowers like that.

Celeste, brrrr, cannot imagine snow like that. It was 80 degrees here today and people were complaining about Spring weather being too warm.

Here is one of my snowball bushes in full bloom.

It is above house roof line and is in full sun. I have another in shade and the blooms are much larger-like this

And this...

When storms come through, hundreds of these blooms break off and cover the ground.

Celeste: Wow, I had heard states north of us were getting snow from a coastal storm the other day. Hopefully it will all melt quickly again.

Kate: Love the snowball pics. So pretty.

It is so hard to think about snow storms when we have been so warm here. It was 81 here yesterday, a perfect day. I guess some of those cooler temps are going to move back here in a couple of days, getting us to our normal mid 60s. I don't mind that either, just don't send me snow!

I'm afraid I don't see 81 as a perfect day. I had to work outside, and with full sun, it was too warm at 76. Daffodils didn't like it either. I like a gradual spring and actually prefer overcast skies.

Martha Stewart

lilyKate , that stretch of road sounds spectacular . Your snowball bush is gorgeous . I had to scalp mine right back to the ground . Some tiny little worms completely defoliated it twice last year . First time I pruned just a little and the bush recovered ......they ate it all again. ( damn worms) and then I butchered it right to the ground figuring I had lost it completely. ; I can't believe I am seeing new shoots coming from the base of the bush. I have got to figure out what worms are eating it and annihilate the little buggers. It seems the fact that I also have highbush cranberry contributes to the problem .

Here's our large Red Bud, much larger than most and is a great shade tree. I expect the first one I post to get that large as it came from one of the seeds of the large one.

You can see my daylilies poking up on the right side.

Very good-looking redbud. Here, they often get dead branches and seldom are so nicely proportioned.

Avalon and Iwona

I really like your different daff varieties. Most of mine are gone for the season, still have Twin Sisters to bloom. I have a bunch of those so should make a good showing. Those things multiply like mad.

Although the vast majority of my daff's aren't blooming or blooming terribly, these white ones just across our little creek are blooming quite well.

Those are really pretty Brad. I have 2 or 3 white varieties, but they don't seem to multiply as well as others for me.

Nancy, I've got several clumps of these. They are consistently good.

Pink Impression

Beautiful tulips. I used to have several, they came back and bloomed for a few years, then stopped. I had one parrot tulip clump that bloomed up til 2017, and I accidentally dug into it. I was surprised, it bloomed about 10 years, but declined from a dozen to 4.

Mantis: Always love your photos. I planted many Impressions based on your previous photos and they keep coming back. I am assuming this maybe is at the hospital perhaps?

Brad: I have that color here but a least several weeks, I think, before blooming.

Banja Luka is at the hospital bed. The others are at a friend's garden that I tend.

Leucojum

Kedron

Mantis, lots of great flower pics!

I gave up on tulips. They don't grow well here at all. Perhaps the soil?

Moving now past the Darwin Hybrids. This is single late Stunning Apricot

Brad, I am sure tulips grow in Kentucky. They like a well-drained soil.

omg Stunning Apricot is aptly named ! love it and the Leucojum !

Eveyr thing blooming is so pretty. I love tulips and plant tem as annuals since that is how they usually behave here. And there are always a few that bloom year after year after yer, but so few you can't count on it. I always plant Bella Luca...my husband's favorite. My snowball bushes were lovely but just about over now, Kate.

Love that Magnolia, Julia.

kay

No matter how old one gets, the spring dogwood bloom still excites.

Here are some grand ones in the neighborhood.

Beautiful, Mantis

Forsythias are in full bloom, weeping cherry tree is almost ready to start blooming and some daffs are blooming. Tulip stems are up but it looks like I have less than previous seasons. Also the daylily foliage that got chewed down to nubs really bounced back. The lawn needs a haircut and the weeds are starting to stake out their territory. A busy day ahead as rain is predicted for Friday with the weekend looking bleak too.

Totally agree about the dogwoods. What magnificent specimens! Just beautiful.

Julia. I just ordered some great products to keep the critters from my plants. Check out the Spray and Go web site. The deer repellant is made with coyote urine. $18.95 per 28 oz. bottle. Their operators are only there 8 am to 5 pm. (800) 323-2363 Good luck with your gardens.

These will bloom and then it is lily time!

Peonies finishing this week

Iris with weeds in background!

Love this different iris

And love this color

ooh Lilykate ........love the mauve iris . Do you know the name of that one by any chance?

Of course I don’t !! Some of those are rescue iris and some are ones I got from my mother who bought lots from a local iris club. This one is so different with the veining and is delicate and smaller than “regular” iris.

Sorry , I had no idea they were rescue iris , I think it is a beauty & looks a lot like the Pickwick crocus http://pss.uvm.edu/pss123/crocuspw.jpg , I will try to search for it myself . Thanks anyway.

Beautiful photos, Lilykate! My iris and peonies have just started blooming the last few days. I really like that 2nd iris too, very unique!

so pretty...My peonies are just now beginning to open...Love the dark iris...my favorites usually but the yellows are so pretty too.

kay

Oh Signet, I was making fun of me!! I don’t know any of my iris names for the reasons mentioned! The little old ladies getting rid of their iris years ago never kept names and I really doubt my mother did either! If you find it (and I know you are a relentless researcher and so helpful to search for answers), please let me know. I really would like that one named. I think I could remember it!

Lilykate , sounds like you think I was offended by your comment . Rest assured I wasn't . I was just hoping you knew the name . Being who I am , I now have assigned myself a quest to find out what I can about this iris. . I have posed the question to another forum and so far all answers suggest iris having been hit with some kind of weed killer . Is this a possibility ? I replied that it wasn't but thought I should perhaps ask if that is a possibility.

Signet, I was just hoping that did not come out as being sarcastic! I have really been negligent about keeping names of many of my plants, especially in the early years and I often do “rescue” sad no name almost dead plants in nurseries that have long lost their tags.

This plant is not the result of weed killer accident. It has bloomed for three years and is next to the iris in the attached photo. Not the best shot of its neighbor but if you enlarge it, you can see some veining in it as well. I know nothing about iris hybridization but have often wondered if this could have happened. Whatever, I do love its uniqueness. I hope you can find a name if there is one.

Do you have a pic of the center when fully open? Check Japanese Iris or it could be in the Historic Iris database. I think I had one similar years ago so will check my PC to see if the pics are still there.

I agree, wondering if it is not a species iris of some sort. Last year I had an iris show up that I never traded for or purchased. Blue, short, just a different look, might just be an intermediate, but i am thinking it is a different variety. Not that it helps with yours, mine looks nothing like yours either. I an curious now, I hope someone can identify it.

Well I just went through all the 53 pages of iris images on the historic iris website . Althoug I saw a couple that appeared to have the same shape as yours none were the coloring or striping of yours. Wondering Lilykate if you can tell us the height of this striped iris please. h

Show us a picture of yours Nancy please.

Will check and see if I have a photo from last year, may have to wait til it blooms this year. I remember it bloomed about early mid season of tall bearded.

Well how interesting all this is! The picture I submitted is as “open” as it gets. I did go out and force it open to get a photo so don’t mind the fingers. It is about 2 feet high and I did photo it in relation to its neighbor which is about 8 inches taller. May have to submit pics separately, depending on Houzz mood.

Just folded back without fingers!

Lilykate , is it ok if I copy this last image ? I did copy the other image ( I didnt think and neglected to ask ) I should have asked that about the first one . I apologise . I have used the first image in the other forum to try to get some help for id . I can remove the image if you prefer. Again my apologies

The foliage looks like bearded iris, from what I can see. Really a puzzle. Maybe from seed. But I have grown iris for years and never had a natural seedling develop. Has to happen though. You may really have something there!

Nancy and the bloom looks like a Siberian Iris , and Japanese iris and several other varieties. I had no idea till now just how many types of iris there are .

Anyone interested check out this list !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://www.revolvy.com/page/List-of-Iris-species When you go to look ( if you do) make sure to click on the Continue Reading link .........the list gets longer , much much longer.

Id'ing this iris just may be impossible .

Oh yes Signet, you may copy it. And you are correct. It probably will be impossible to ID. But I do appreciate the interest in it.

Oh, Nancy, forgot to add that you are correct. The foliage looks like all the rest of my bearded iris. It is right in there with its neighbor and when not in bloom, it looks like one big clump (do we call them iris clumps?).

Lilykate , someone is asking for an image of the whole plant . I assume that means including the corm . Is this possible? and thanks for being so nice about me copying your images.

First, my apologies to Julia-I feel like I have hijacked her thread with my mystery iris!! :)

Here are the best two pics I could get.

Most of foliage is to the left. You can see the edge of the bloom on the right.

Corm pic