on the IRIS
I would like to say that all irises are beautiful, but they are not. Given the genus contains up to 300 species, that is hardly surprising.
Despite often being called the queen of the flowers, some irises are the epitome of streamliner elegance. Others are over-the-top gorgeous, some merely pretty, while others unequivocally plain.
In my Christchurch garden, the first – or last – iris to flower is (aka Iris unguicularis or Algerian iris). Usually, it starts to bloom in May and continues through into August – I think. For its slender blooms of this gentle and shy iris are often hidden in the leaves and
