Saturday, May 23, 2015



Iris - Corfu, Greece
Time for a gardener becomes measured by that familiar progression of plants known and loved. As long as I can remember, iris has always been one of my favorite perennials and perennial spring favorites. It comes into its own after the crocus and other early bulbs have blossomed themselves out.  And so there they were alongside the rocky ledge near our cruise ship in the port of Corfu, Greece.
It's a small world after all.  I smiled and broke out the camera.
Iris - Appleton, WI
My Corfu iris were a down-home variety compared to the showy hybrids in a friend's spectacular cottage garden in my Wisconsin hometown. But even at its simplest, the graceful fleur-de-lis needs no apologies,  For centuries, kings of France and other royalty immortalized it on their crests and shields.

Wow.
Spring is now coming into its own in the Upper Midwest, but has long since passed on Corfu. Even though the seasons are out of synch,  half a world away from each other, iris flourish as lovely mile-markers in the gardener's year.
I don't need to see the 'flower of the lily' in bloom in Tempe  either to remind me that summer can't be far behind. Iris forever claims pride of place in the May calendar of my memory.

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