There is no other blossom like the iris. so many rich colors and so many combinations like the rainbow it was named after. Legend has it that the three standards stand for strength, honor and wisdom and that the falls represent the beginning, middle and end. The iris was so valued by rulers that an Asian head of state declared that none could be grown outside of his palace and grounds. The law stated that they could not be grown in gardens, boxes, stalls, barns, pastures, roads, ditches, forests or paths...... so the people grew them on their roofs, hence the Japanese roof iris. Iris blooms seem to run like a thread through many of our lives as we grow them when we are young and take them with us like family portraits or heirloom china. If we do leave them behind in our busy lives once we slow down, watch the geese fly in over the lake, the mist rise from the water and see the sunrise we think 'I want a garden, now, where can I find my old irises'. We are not just iris nuts, we are people that enjoy the finest things in life and we recognize this trait in others. Welcome to this group of people who appreciate, nay love, the iris flower.
