Grand Iris Tour 2023

The Grand Iris Tour at the Genuine Faux Farm is coming to a close for 2023, but we certainly had some wonderful surprises this year as we had less wind and little stormy weather.  As a result, the iris held up beautifully and we still have a fresh bouquet in the house as of this writing (mid week).

I managed to get enough energy and motivation together at the same time to get some photos prior to harvesting the flowers for a bouquet.  But, earlier in the bloom season the best we could do was harvest and enjoy.  You'll notice a few pictures are after they were placed in a vase.

Hey, you work with what you have!

At one point in time I told Tammy that every German Bearded Iris we had was beautiful.  And, yes, I still believe that.  But at the time I think I was more enamored with having an example of every variety we could manage to get to bloom.  

Now, my perspective is different.  There are varieties that I really, REALLY love and I celebrate (possibly more than is warranted for a single flowering plant) each and every time they show me their colors.  The iris shown above (Rare Treat) is one such iris.  It has been with us since we started growing specialized iris (1998).

I still take a moment and gently touch the fuzzy, caterpillar-like beards.  I can't always feel their soft tickle this time of year when the calluses are reforming on my fingers.  But I still try.  And, an iris flower's beauty holds up when you view them up close as well as from a distance.

Since I like to play with different perspectives on things with the camera, I tried to take pictures of portions of a few iris flowers.  I feel like the one shown above is a winner.  I'm not sure that I am as pleased with the next one.  But, I will share it anyway.

The bottom iris leaf is from the iris named "Sing Out," which is also a variety we have cultivated since the beginning.  It's been on the edge of not making it several times - including its first three seasons - so I always take some pleasure in seeing it again.

Sometimes I wonder if we could just go back to that initial fifteen (or so) varieties and just grow a bunch of all of them, would we be happy with what we had?  Certainly, if we were able to grow them well, we would enjoy it. And we would definitely appreciate the blooms every season.

But that question, like so many philosophical questions, is a bit unfair.  We have watched and appreciated so many other varieties since that time so it is almost as if we're being asked to reject all of the other, equally wonderful, flowers.

Would you want to reject this one?

Perhaps the best answer is to say that we will appreciate, enjoy and do our best to care for the flowers we've got.  Maybe, if we find our hearts yearning for an old favorite that no longer graces us with their presence, we could search for a replacement plant somewhere out in the wide world.  I know we have been tempted once or twice to do that, but we never quite get motivated enough to follow through.

That's okay.  While we no longer maintain the "show gardens" of iris we had early on at the Genuine Faux Farm, our iris friends still show up each year.  And we make sure to get out there and give them attention and praise for their efforts.  A few iris even thrive despite our relative neglect for their circumstance.

This year's bloom period has hours, not days, left to it.  I always feel a bit sad when we get to this point and I try to console myself by remembering that these flowers wouldn't feel quite so special if they bloomed year around.  But I don't actually believe what I am saying.  

I probably would find these flowers to be special if I could see them blooming all year.  And that's why I take the pictures.  Then I can share them with you each year and we can all enjoy them together.