Passalong lilac-hued iris
April 05, 2010
These beautiful but temperamental irises do not bloom every year. In times of drought, they dry up too and stubbornly refuse to set buds. But the rains this winter enticed them into glorious, ruffled bloom this spring, and I’m delighting in them again.
If the friend who gave me a division of them ever knew the name, I forgot it. I call them Shoshana’s iris, in memory of my friend’s young daughter, who passed away suddenly a year later.
I just shared some divisions of Shoshana’s iris at a recent garden-blogger get-together, and I hope they’ll flower this year too. But if not, be patient. When the time is right they’ll put on a beautiful show.
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They are lovely! I’m glad they are blooming for you this year.
in our zone 6 they are always blooming – reading they refuse to bloom somewhere is so surprising…
What a beautiful iris. I love the lavender color. I think makes them more special because you named them after your friend’s daughter. What a great way to honor her memory.
What a gorgeous iris – such a beautiful colour.
Your irises are way ahead of mine. This is a pretty delicate looking iris.
I’m usually drawn more toward the traditional dark purple iris, but this color really is beautiful!
I love purple in any shade, and this lilac shade of purple is just lovely. When I was a girl, I told everyone that my favorite flowers were irises. 🙂
How sweet that you named this one in memory of your friend’s child.
Beautiful Pam. They look well with the agave. I have iris this year too. One has a flower but I have no idea what color it will be. It will be a surprise, but I hope it is purple like oyurs.
It’s a lovely lilac color and the story of this passalong iris is bittersweet. gail
What a beautiful iris! The delicate color is just perfect. Naming it in memory of your friend’s is such a sweet gesture.
Your picture makes me want to reach out and touch the screen. Vibrant color!
Beautiful iris. I planted them in the front yard, and will think of your friend’s daughter whenever they are in bloom.
I heard some rumor that bearded irises are scented. Is Shoshanna perfumed? It’s amazing to me how much you have going on there this time of year: the only thing going on here is Allium foliage and one crocus.
Christine in Alaska
It does have a faint scent, Christine. Perhaps on a warmer day it would be even more fragrant. —Pam
Those iris are gorgeous.
Some bearded irises, probably the older varieties, are very fragrant. I used to have irises that were light and dark purple and smelled like grape–real grape not the chemical grape smell of Texas Laurels. My white irises are just finishing up and my yellow ones are at their peak now, and getting buffeted by the winds.
Glad to know that the drought is a blooming factor. Maybe that’s why my irises didn’t bloom last year. My fingers are crossed for this year.