The Lovely Iris.....Sentinals to Summer

I have 2 rather big areas of large German Bearded Iris in 2 flower beds in my back yard. I love these flowers for many reasons........the graceful curve of the top petals and the almost translucent paper thin drooping bottom petals that ruffle in the wind........the fresh almost lemon-like smell of the blossoms.........the pointy flower spears of their buds, wrapped tightly ready to unfold into a beautiful flower...... and yes, I love them because they also take me back to my childhood. Let me explain.....

Growing up, my parents had a stone wall about 2 feet tall along the side of the front yard and on top of this stone wall were these Iris! The wall was pretty long, about 15 feet and come late May/early June it would explode in yellow, deep purple and pale lavendar large German Bearded Iris. I'd walk past them every morning, cross the road and wait by the mailbox for the school bus. When I was in elementary school I really didn't like school all that much because I was painfully shy, but I knew that when I saw those Iris blooming that the end of school was near! Those Irish became my visual signal that I'd be set free from school for the summer.

Little did I know back then that I'd end up having a career in a public school system and that I'd become far from shy, however one thing remained a constant......those blooming Iris are still my little visual signal that there is a light at the end of tunnel and I'll be free once again!

When I look at them, I just have to smile and my heart soars! These are irises from my mom's original bunch. I can't even count how many people have irises from the original ones from that stone wall but we'd dig and split them every so often and give them away. I still do so to this day....every 2 to 3 years I dig and split them and give them away. Why shouldn't others enjoy their beauty?

Now the interesting thing about these spectacular flowers is that I started out with equal amounts of rhizomes in yellow and purple and over the years all but 2 have become yellow!

They look like "the sentinals to summer" to me! Guarding the summer gate, preparing to open it to let me go through! Do you have a certain flower that triggers a certain memory for you?