Early arrivals with promise of better days
The first irises have stuck their little heads above the soil. Winter may have a few more unpleasant things in store, but the sight of these tiny flowers is enough to fill a gardener’s heart with optimism
And they have been worth waiting for; the early spring-blooming irises, members of a family of flowers renowned for their beauty and colour. Most people seem to like irises. In fact, many people love them with a passion. There is something alluring about their shapely flowers. They are almost too good to be true – they could have been carved by a sculpture.
They are also a very diverse family. Sometimes, when there is still snow on the ground, a few spots of colour reveal the whereabouts of the small but perfectly formed Iris danfordiae, as pretty a little flower as ever graced a garden.
Their yellow scented blooms follow fast on the heels of the earliest snowdrops, and within a few days, their equally attractive and small cousins, I reticulata, will also push their way to the soil surface and start to flower. The iris family is like that – filled with colourful plants which appear at regular intervals throughout the year, and while the earliest are happy to bloom just a few inches above the soil, the summer show-offs stand stately and proud.
The bearded varieties are some of the most sweetly-scented flowers which appear to bask in the sun. They vary in size from 18ins in height to giants of five feet or more, but they are all inescapably beautiful.
The bog irises are another breed entirely – they like their roots to be damp, so it pays to provide them with a spot on the margin of a pool or even in the water itself.
But the tiny I danfordiae, particularly the vibrant yellow, and the blue I reticulata will always hold a special place in the hearts of many gardeners. They may be small fry in the world of flowers, but they are winners in winter and a promise of better days to come.