I grew up in what could be acknowledged as the Iris Capital of the World – Greenbrier County in West Virginia. Every May, the West Virginia Hills would spring to life with Iris blooms – along roads, bordering driveways, in massive beds and overwhelming the landscape with their beauty. The climate is perfect in this, one of the most beautiful counties in America. Add cool evenings, with warm afternoons and limestone soil, and Irises flourish. Thousands of the colorful flowers appear, each trying to outdo one another in beauty.
One of my early childhood memories involved Irises. One Iris, actually. I was about 7 and often walked to school, Institute Elementary, in Beckley, WV. We lived on Grandview Avenue bordering the football field of the Beckley Flying Eagles. Along the sidewalk, just below the field, was a single, lilac-colored Iris. It awaited me each morning as I passed by. Every day, I stopped and bent slightly to smell it and to see bits of dew captured within the folds. The Iris smelled heavenly and was both delicate and. intricate. I’ll never forget it.
When we moved to our current Charlottesville house some 50 years ago, there was a small bed of Irises on the side. It’s still there and the Irises are blooming now. They survived over the years but didn’t flourish until we cut down a thick holly bush that was blocking the sun. They are now outdoing themselves in beauty and where I once had 4 or 5 blooms, we now have 15 or 20. They are stunning.
My mother loved Irises. She was once the President of the National Garden Club and travelled widely, giving speeches, and encouraging flower clubs throughout the country. We had a beautiful stand of Irises in our backyard in Lewisburg and I remember Mother often on hands and knees, working the beds.
The Iris is a perennial, of course, blooming each year. It takes its name from the Greek word, Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow.
The plant can spread as the roots, bulbs, multiply and spread. They can be easily transplanted. Irises are not hard to grow, but they are hard to beat when it comes to elegance, grace, and beauty.
Each spring as I see Irises bloom, I think of that one flower in Beckley, the countryside of Greenbrier County and am reminded of my mother’s great love for this magnificent flower.
