Iris Collection

Then I have extra irises to expand my gardens. For years I had too many, but I've cut back.

When I look at my wild cherry trees, I think they look like big people buried head down with their legs sticking out. The irises look like their hula skirt and the tree branches their legs. (Crazy, I know.)

I have given away irises to neighbors and see their offspring in gardens around my neighborhood.

1998 - Irises in the Rose Garden and Southside

I think my early yellow bloomer is called a Yellow Scholar. It blooms early, perking up the yard about the time the daffodils are done. My light blue/purple iris is taller. I think it is called Falcon Pride. It starts blooming about the time the yellow ones are done.

There are so many varieties of irises, I wish I had more garden space. Iris flowers have represented "females" in appearance, but most have a "beard" which is the feathered bud in the center. Some irises have large beards and both the beards and flower petals come in a huge variety of colors.

You can try swapping varieties with friends and neighbors yourself. You should keep them separated in your gardens to keep cross pollination from changing their colors and appearance (or NOT!) This is what nurseries do, but with careful documentation so they can release "new" varieties. But "we" can try our own garden experiments - just for FUN!

I found the old photo here from 1998. Once these irises dominated my south side. This photo shows the yellow variety in bloom and the blue ones almost ready to burst. I have been separating, transplanting and thinning them for well over a decade. It can be difficult to tell the different varieties apart once they have finished blooming. (This is a good reason to mark them for later transplanting.)

Read Iris Planting and Care for more tips on the care and planting of irises.