Iris, Joy of Spring

Iris, like Lily, helps sound the clarion call of Spring from both the garden and the wood.

This dwarf crested iris, Iris cristata, highlights a spring wildflower walk through Umstead Park in Wake County, NC.

Closer to home, this tall bearded iris, Iris germanica greets the May morning with a flourish. 

A cultivated iris transplanted from the yard of a generous friend, this elegant beauty brings a smile to our faces as soon as we round the curve and approach the mailbox.

And over in the Sandhills of Harnett County, the diminutive dwarf iris, Iris verna, sans the "crest" of its cousin from Wake, brings the bold colors of royalty to the land of the long leaf pine, albeit a bare four inches above the sand.

Meanwhile, back in the garden, stately tall bearded iris with varieties such as "Jurassic Park", "Boysenberry Buttercup" and "Can Can Dancer" speak of the wonders of horticulture, and the tremendous variety of cultivated flowers available to bring joy and beauty to your garden and mantel;

while Iris cristata, Iris verna, and their cousin Sisyrinchium angustifolium, or blue-eyed grass, (all members of the Iris family), quietly remind us from the woodland margins just where all those highfalutin garden dwellers have their roots.