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08 May, 2014

It Only Took Eight Years...

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Walking Iris in BloomEight years ago my neighbor Joyce kindly shared with me some babies from one of her mother’s cherished plants with the instructions to let them get pot bound and they would bloom. She didn’t know the plant’s name at the time, but I found out recently that it is a Walking Iris.

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Walking Iris The plant itself looks something like a spider plant, but the babies grow from an elongated, thickened leaf, not from a stem. And…as you can see, I did indeed let it get pot bound. For eight long years I have faithfully brought it in every winter and put it back out on the patio every spring…and waited…

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Walking Iris in Bloom Then finally, just this week, my patience was rewarded at last! It finally bloomed! You can indeed see that it is related to the Iris.

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Walking Iris in Bloom Isn’t it beautiful? I quickly snapped some photos to memorialize the event…

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Walking Iris in Bloom…because this beautiful flower literally only lasts a few hours! By late afternoon, it was beginning to wither. I had to laugh, thinking of the movie Dennis the Menace and poor Mr. Wilson who had waited 40 years to see his rare orchid bloom. With Dennis around, you can already imagine the result! (It’s still one of my favorite movies, by the way!)

FroggieAnother surprise on my patio…one of the three frogs who lived in my little water feature last year is back, which might not be so surprising…

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Water Feature…until you see how small it is! Miss Kitty finds it highly disturbing that critters are living in her personal drinking fountain!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Water Hyacinths Soon the water hyacinths will be blooming, too…another flower that only lasts a short time!

However, I can always count on the begonias in my shabby picnic basket planter to last all summer and into the fall! You can find out how to make a planter of your own here.

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Flower Pot ManAnother favorite of mine is also back …my little rustic  flower pot man…sporting golden creeping Jenny hair this year!

CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT Ginger LiliesI am heartbroken to say, however, that the single digit temperatures this winter have almost entirely done in my favorite plants…my mom’s ginger lilies. My three beds of thriving plants have been reduced to five or six little sprouts. I am hopeful, however, that with lots of fertilizer and TLC I can still have some blooms this fall and see the hummingbird moths return to my garden.

catnipAnd, of course, back again…the staff’s favorite…a big pot of catnip!

Plate Addict's Staff at the WindowAlthough Naughty Neighbor (as pictured here last year) has now found a new, loving home, a few other kitties include our patio in their rounds, so the catnip remains caged to keep it safe and sound until the staff wants to play with it. It’s so nice to see signs of not only spring, but oncoming summer as well!
I hope you are having beautiful weather, too, and beginning to recover from that long winter we all suffered this year!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed seeing my spring patio progress! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants. 
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party , Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday , A Stroll thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Inspire Me Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays , The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays , No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays ,  French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday 
See you next time! À la prochaine!
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17 comments:

  1. Oh it was worth waiting for, such a beautiful flowers.

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  2. My Walking Iris are in the ground and multiply like crazy, I have to thin them every year or they take over. They are also blooming now and will bloom a few days after a good watering. Wish I could give you a few buckets of them! They are beautiful up close but only look white from far. That's why I wish I had purple Iris instead.

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  3. Dear Debby,
    What a beautiful flower. One of the attributes of a gardener is patience. You definitely qualify!

    I read Walking Iris or Apostle Plant (Neomarica gracilis) is hardy in zones 8,9,10 & 11 (all tropical) so you were smart to bring it indoors for the winter.

    I also read all parts of plant are poisonous if ingested so make sure the "staff" doesn't chow down on this one.

    Love your blog and while I don't comment often I always read what you post. Vikki in VA

    Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2108/#ixzz3188cvUIz

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  4. One of the most gorgeous iris I have ever seen! SO glad it bloomed for you... you are more patient than I, to wait so many years but that bloom is totally worth it. GORGEOUS!

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  5. Fantastic! So glad you were able to catch the bloom, it is truly striking. The basket, little potman and water feature are adorable.

    I am still chuckling about your naughty neighbor who looks a little cat-drunk in that picture. I had never thought of the caging the catnip, great idea and inspiration.

    Here in Zone 5 still awaiting to see what made it through this winter, many of my plants are already a hand high. A month late but happy about it all the same. See you soon.

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  6. Your photos are lovely Debbie! The winter played havoc on my plants too......

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  7. Oh my!! What a beautiful iris...it is a shame that it only lasts for a few hours.

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  8. I'm so glad you didn't miss the gorgeous bloom on the special plant your friend gave you! Very pretty:@)

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  9. Debbie, thanks so much for being patient... because we got to see the flower too. So so beautiful!!!! I love the way you caged the catnip! Great idea!!!! My cat literally eats it and then lays on the spot where it was all summer! I'm getting out our small dog crate to cage my catnip too!

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  10. What an incredibly beautiful flower! Your patience paid off!
    Karee

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  11. What a gorgeous variety! Love that little flower pot man - so cute. I've list a lot of plants, as have so many in my region (zone 7a). Disheartening as it is, it's still always so uplifting when something, anything does perform its natural miracle. My irises started blooming this morning and made my day! Enjoy your Mother's Day weekend.

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  12. Dear Debbie...I have not been receiving your blog since around the middle of April! I have no idea what happened but yours is among at least six other blogs that just stopped arriving in my in-box..so sad...I just keep a list of those blogs and look them up each day or so ....just to keep up...I checked and I am registered..so have no idea what is going wrong. I miss yours arriving each week....I have gained so much wonderful information and ideas from you...thanks so much and keep up the great blog!! Diane Westbrook

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    1. I am sorry, Diane! Thanks so much for your sweet comment! Yes...we are aware that there is a problem with Feedburner and I am sick about it. I am not sure if it is fixable but in the meantime, you might try following your blogs with Bloglovin'. There's a link at the bottom of this post. That way you can have them all in one place. I keep a bookmark on my Bloglovin' page so I can access it easily. I hope that helps. Hugs...Debbie

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  13. All of your flowere are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. what a beautiful iris! I confess Iw ould've probably let it die if after several years it didn't do anything!

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  15. I REALLY enjoyed this post! That Iris is amazing! Thank you for quickly getting the photos, and sharing them with us!

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Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment! I appreciate my wonderful readers!... Debbie