My Bouquet of the Month...May 2011..After the Storm

I didn't get over to the Church to take pictures yet. We lost our internet and phones yesterday. We got them back in the evening late. Now it's raining again...so no pics today, but I did manage to make a bouquet for Noelle's Bouquet of the Month...http://www.azplantlady.com/ We do this each month and believe me we in the north have to get creative during the winter. After months of scraping together a bouquet...I finally had some flowers to work with. I was watching my iris grow into tall beauties...they are in a protected area with the house as a support in the back. I just knew that these were going to be my bouquet for May. I waited for Noelle to post. I was anticipating a bouquet of mixed flowers. I wanted to leave a few iris there for neighbors to enjoy. Then she put her picture of her bouquet up...that was the day of our storm. I thought that I could do it the next day. When I woke up in the morning...I went out to check on them. As I turned the corner...I didn't see them standing tall. OH...NO...there they were all lying on the ground beaten down by the heavy rain and wind. They were mixed in with the ajuga...a mass of lavender flowers. Well, I got my vase out and picked them up off the ground...brought them in the house and trimmed off the spoiled flowers. Instead of a mixed bouquet I made up a big bouquet of all iris. It made me sad to toss away all those pretty flowers, but I learned a lesson. Next year I will stake them different. Maybe something taller and a little sturdier. They are sitting on my table and their delicious scent is filling the room.

Balisha