Flower Portrait: Iris histrioides ‘George’

Yesterday was dry and sunny after early morning rain, though still rather chilly (5°C) so I wrapped up warm, put on the gardening gloves, grabbed the secateurs and went out into the garden to do some clearing up. It was nice to see the spring bulbs I planted in the autumn popping up in the containers, including these Irises which are now in their fourth year.

‘George’ is one of the earliest dwarf irises to flower. Dwarf iris do need well drained soil and relatively dry conditions in dormancy which is probably why they don’t always reliably return, though in my experience ‘George’ is one of the better ones. With lovely deep purple flowers with yellow-marked falls they are a welcome splash of colour in the gloomy January days.

Two hours later as the sun was beginning to set and the garden waste bin full, I was happy to have spent some time working in the garden, There is still work to do, but for now I am satisfied. And why is it that spring cleaning the garden is so much nicer than spring cleaning the home?

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