Iris
Iris are one of the easiest perennial plants to grow and provides an abundance of beauty through the home landscape. Iris come in a range of sizes from less than a foot tall to over three feet tall. Iris flowers come in almost every color of the rainbow from white to dark purple to blue and even multi colored. The name “Iris” is actually derived from the Greek word meaning “rainbow” referring to the range of colors available. According to Greek mythology, whenever the gods wanted to communicate with mortals their messenger was a golden-winged goddess named Iris who traveled on a rainbow. Legend has it that the colorful flowers sprung up at the end of the rainbow where ever she stepped. The iris is also featured in ancient Egyptian mythology and in the Christian history as well with the fleur-de-lis. Iris blooms are unique in their ruffled appearance and each bloom has six petals. Three petals called “standards” extend upwards while three petals called “falls” hang down. Iris are easy to grow but they do need at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight in order to thrive and bloom. Iris clumps do need to be divided periodically as they don’t bloom as much when they become crowded. Divide iris in the fall every three to four years by removing several small divisions or digging the entire clump and replanting a few rhizomes. Be careful not to plant them too deep as iris rhizomes prefer to be on the soil surface. Because of their ease of dividing, Iris are among the most shared plants in the world.
