My Family of Irises

I had no idea I had so many irises until I decided to catalogue them here on my blog. It seems as though I am doing a genealogy for my Iris Family Tree. I've been taking pictures all week long so I can post them all at once.
I don't know their names. Sorry. I have had some of these for 20 or 30 years or more. At the time I bought them, I was just collecting colors. I wasn't worried about their names.
They have moved with me to two different locations. Don't forget, when you move, you don't have to leave your garden behind. Take some starts and plant them in your friend's or relative's yard temporarily until your new garden is ready. I planted mine around our place of business one fall and dug them up again in the spring because we moved to our new house in November. The irises and daylilies did just fine and our business landscaping was very pretty for a while.
The house had a few irises that I didn't have already planted along the garage, so I was off to a good start.

And fifteen years later this is what I have. Most are Bearded Hybrid Irises.


A deep velvety black/purple.


The picture shows this a little more blue than it actually is. It's closer to a blue/lavender.



These pinks are huge, probably the largest flower of all of them.


This Siberian Iris gets really tall, about 3 feet. The leaves stay nice looking all summer and look a lot like a pampas grass.


This Siberian is shorter, about 2 feet. The leaves also last all summer.
Note: Update -- The name is Orville Fay.


I love the two-tone coloring on this one.


This deep burgundy looks great next to the rusty wheel.


This year the irises by the fountain were thick. Two plants created this beauty. I hate to do it, but I think it's time to divide them. I'm sure my daughters will be pleased.


The white ones are spectacular right now. So pure and clean looking.





A little windblown; a funny face peeks out at me.



Another black that was left behind by the previous owner. A little shorter than the other.



This one always reminds me of an old man or maybe an alien from Outer Space. He stares right at me.


I call this "rust" but sometimes it's actually brown.


This variegated iris is planted by the pond. It loves all of the humidity. I love the green and white foliage.
Note: Update -- After some research and checking with my journals, I now know that this last iris is a Siberian named Aurea Variegata, or Sweet Iris.