White Irises.

Iris (Iridaceae) is the flower of the Greek Goddess, Iris who is the messenger of Love. The language of the iris flower symbolizes eloquence. Despite its divine origins, it is hardy, reliable, and easy to grow. Irises also attract butterflies and hummingbirds and make lovely cut flowers.

The word Iris means Rainbow because they are available in many colours. Such as blue, purple, white, yellow, pink, orange, brown, red and even black. The two most common types of Iris are the Bearded iris and the Siberian Iris. These flowers are known and loved around the world and they are characterized by their three main petals called standards and their three outer petals are called the falls. They grow on strong bamboo-like stems and there are hundreds of species, cultivars and hybrids. The iris fruit is a capsule which opens up in three parts to reveal many seeds within.

These beautiful perennial plants grow from creeping rhizomes but in drier climate they grow from bulbs. They are characterized by their long, erect, flowering stems which vary from simple, branched, solid or hollow and flattened, or they may have a circular cross section. The rhizomatous group feature 3-10 basal sword-shaped leaves which grow in dense clumps. The bulbous variety have cylindrical, basal leaves.

There are roughly 200 species of iris which are native to the Northern temperate regions of the world. They thrive in many different areas such as deserts and swamps. Some survive well in colder climates whilst others prefer hotter regions.

Irises need at least half a day of sun and well-drained soil. Without enough sun, they won’t bloom. They prefer fertile, neutral to slightly acidic soil. If your soil is very acidic, sweeten it with a bit of lime, and go easy on summer watering, which can lead to rot.

Bog or swamp type irises need permanently damp soil; woodland irises prefer moist well-drained soil. Bearded irises need to be kept moist when actively growing and flowering but after that, they should be kept dry. Rockery irises need moisture but the soil needs to be gritty and well drained. Propagation is usually by division when dormant, less commonly from seed.

Interesting facts:

The iris is the French royal standard fleur-de-lis and also the symbol of Florence, Italy.

Oral root, taken from the dried roots of Iris ‘Florentia’, was considered a cure for blood and lung diseases, and teething babies were encouraged to gnaw on a “finger” of dried root for its natural fluoride.

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