Praise the Lord, we finally got some rain last week, and more rain is forecast this weekend. We have a long way to go to catch up, but plants of all kinds have responded dramatically. Like everything, my largest iris was in suspended animation, petal tissue visible, but not unfurling, until I set the sprinkler on the front garden for an hour of deep watering. It burst into bloom two days later, and cooler weather has allowed the flowers to last. This iris was sold to me as 'Cloud Ballet', but I'm pretty sure it was misidentified. That happens more often than you think, particularly when there are thousands of cultivars as there are with iris. All the references I have looked at show 'Cloud Ballet' with a golden tipped bear and petals that are lighter toward the center. No golden beards here and the color is pretty consistent throughout the petals.
Even though it is not what I thought it would be, I'm happy with it. The individual flowers have lasted all week, and each scape has lots of them. They are of heavy substance and will stand up to rain well. And most importantly, they have a wonderful fragrance with notes of citrus, freesia, and concord grape. I think it would be a good one for cutting just as the first flowers are opening. It's not the best color for display against the siding of my home, but it harmonizes well with the golden elements in this bed. Blue and gold is a classic color combination.
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