IRISES!!!!!!

Back in college, my sorority's flower was "the lovely purple iris". This meant squat to me as I could have cared less back then about gardening. However, about 5 years ago, my hubby and I helped my mom move from my childhood home into a smaller ranch home. We spent countless hours at her house throwing away and going through over 25 years worth of stuff so she could downsize. Nothing I wouldn't do again for her..... she's my mom and I love her. But she thought differently. She wanted to "repay" me for helping her. So she bought me some irises to plant in my yard.



I was living in a different house than I am now at that time. I bought a small tree and by small I mean maybe 3 foot high and then put the irises around that tree. When the bulbs sent up their fan like leaves they were higher than the tree. My husband thought this was hysterical and also it made him mad that we bought such a little tree. "What do you expect for $20", I asked him.



When we moved from that home into our current home three years ago, I dug up the irises and brought them here. I finally got them into the ground about 6 months later. Since then they have sent up the leaves every year but never a bloom. NEVER! So imagine my surprise when I came home from two weeks away to find every single bulb blooming several flowers at the same time! I almost died! I couldn't stop screaming and sniffing the blooms! THEY ARE GORGEOUS!



Suddenly, I feel very connected to these flowers. Every time I look at them I think of my college

days, which were some of the best times of my life. I think of my mom, who gave them to me. I think of how far I've come in gardening. I like irises. No better yet, I LOVE IRISES!