by hankinslawrenceimages | Mar 23, 2010 | Flowers, Iridaceae Family, New Photos
Harmony Dwarf Irises II (c) 2010 Patty Hankins
I’ve just added a new photo – Harmony Dwarf Irises II – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.
For me, one of the great delights of spring flower photography is when the dwarf irises start blooming in the DC area. They are usually one of the first bulbs to bloom and they bring such a wonderful splash of bright color to gardens. Of all the dwarf irises, the Harmony Dwarf Irises (iris reticulata Harmony) are probably my favorites. I love the deep purple color, the bright yellow stripe and the wonderful shape of the upper petals.
Harmony Dwarf Irises are an early spring blooming iris. Native to the Caucuses, they are hardy in the US to zones 3 or 4 if you protect them with mulch. They grow well in beds, rock gardens and woodland gardens. The grow to about 5-6 inches tall and look wonderful with flowers such as snowdrops and early daffodils.
This photograph is available as 12 X 18″ and 20X30″ gallery-wrapped canvases. You can order Harmony Dwarf Irises II from my website and I will have it available at shows this year.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Jan 18, 2010 | Flowers, Iridaceae Family, New Photos
Grape Adventure Iris (c) 2010 Patty Hankins
I’ve just added a new photo – Grape Adventure Iris – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website. Grape Adventure Irises are a bearded iris introduced in 1985. They are known for their deep purple colors and because they really do smell like grapes! This wonderful iris grows to about 30″ tall. I photographed this Grape Adventure Iris at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland.
This photograph is available as a 10X10″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Grape Adventure Iris from my website and I will have it available at shows this year.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Jan 9, 2010 | Flowers, Iridaceae Family, New Photos
Immortality Bearded Iris (c) 2010 Patty Hankins
I’ve just added a new photo – Immortality Bearded Iris – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website. Immortality Bearded Iris are known for their ruffled white petals and their pale yellow beards. This variety is known for blooming once in the spring and then once again in late summer early fall. I photographed this lovely iris at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland.
This photograph is available as a 10X10″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Immortality Bearded Iris from my website and I will have it available at shows this year.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Jun 15, 2009 | Flowers, Iridaceae Family
In the past few months, I’ve photographed several different types of irises – wild irises, dwarf irises, bearded irises, and a few different irises from around the world.
These photos of Anomatheca laxa were taken at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC. Also known as False Freesia, Anomatheca laxa is native to South Africa and is hardy to zone 8A in the United States. I really liked the look of the delicate flowers on these plants.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
I photographed another South African iris – Dietes Grandiflora – at Longwood Gardens. I just love the combination of the yellow, purple and white in these irises.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
Finally, an iris tectorum photographed at the National Arboretum. Native to China, and known as the Japanese Root Iris, the petals on the iris tectorum are fascinating from any angle.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
by hankinslawrenceimages | May 28, 2009 | Flowers, Iridaceae Family, Wildflowers
Crested Dwarf Iris (c) 2009 Patty Hankins
One of my favorite spring wildflowers is the Crested Dwarf Iris (iris cristata). I first photographed some crested dwarf irises a couple of years ago along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Since then, I’ve been trying to get some better photos of them. This year, I finally managed to get some photos of Crested Dwarf Irises that I’m really happy with. All the photos are from my trip to Tennessee earlier this spring.
The first two photos are from the Laurel-Snow Pocket Wilderness area outside of Dayton, TN. This was the first morning of my trip and it was so nice to see them little irises blooming.
These three were growing on a ledge on a rock face.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
A couple of days later, I found a large patch of crested dwarf irises along the side of the Porter’s Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My guess is there were at least 200 dwarf irises in this particular patch.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
The irises were in fantastic shape so I was able to photograph the fine details of the flower.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
My final photo was taken near the trailhead for the Old Settlers Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I loved the way the few Star Chickweed (stellaria pubera) flowers were grouped among the crested dwarf irises at the base of the tree.
Crested Dwarf Iris and Star Chickweed (c) 2009 Patty Hankins
I’m already looking foward to next spring so that I can see and photograph more crested dwarf irises.
