Iris are a favorite spring and summer flower. This time of year, however, their blue  seems particularly vibrant. Iris are available in a wide spectrum of colors including cobalt blue, periwinkle blue, purple, yellow, white, and many bi-colors. They are a true spring flower in that they last only a few days when cut-- they generally last longer in your garden! Bees don't "see" blue and only pollinate it by accident, which over  eons has made the blue  gene in  flowers  recessive;  thus,  most  blue flowers are  either  bulbs (like iris) or  seed  germinated  plants.  Indeed, for several months of the year, iris are the only commercially grown blue flower available.

How can you get full value out of your cut iris? A clean vase, a cool room and a sharp knife are tops, followed by accurate measuring of your preservative. Then, when the bloom has faded, pull down the green jackets just below the flower-- they look like two spears that hold the flower head up-- there might be another bud inside that jacket. You want to wait until the first one opens before you pull that one down because the first bloom has a tiny little stem that won't support the weight of the flower head without the aid of those green jackets. There isn't always a second bloom, but it's always worth a look.

So here's to the iris-- the symbol for valor, and on the french foreign legion's standard. 

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