Wow, loving this thread! I finally ordered some really dark irises last year, and am waiting for those first blooms. Something about the really dark ones just appeals to me; they're so dramatic! Planted Superstition, Satan's Mistress, Dusky Challenger, and Hello Darkness last year, plus about 38 other bearded of various colors, and my first 3 or 4 Siberians.
I keep going in phases with what plant I add a ton of each year, and 2011 was definitely an iris year. I've had spring bulb years, daffodil years, hydrangea years, daylily years, lily years, and clematis years. I go through iris cravings more often than any other single plant, though. They are my favorite. I think 2012 is going to have to be the year I spend my garden "allowance" on enlarging and installing some better edging for my beds. Now that my plants are really reaching mature size and multiplying, they seem awfully crowded. What is the garden bed equivalent to "muffin top" on jeans?
I used to have room to plant a nice thick edging of allysum in my beds, but not this year! Next up, I need to find some plants that bloom into the fall. Spring is when my garden is at its peak, but by about August, there just isn't much going on, except in the vegetable garden.
