If I had acres of land I would plant irises all over! I can’t get enough of them ! Unfortunately, I don’t have much planters where to put the new one but intention to purchase another is always in the air !

In the air is also potential irises that I want to buy in the future. One of them is dark purple like ink other yellow/lavender.

This is flagman of my collection and veteran. Believe it or not but this Iris is more than 20 years old! I had him before I moved in this house and fortunately, irises is easy to move around, so this Iris moved in with me! .

For years I was extending my collection. Not every irises that I planted blooming every year but when they do, it’s a majestic view!

Here is white one , very fragrant- sweet-apricot/acacia blossom fragrance.

Red one called – Red Masterpiece and I think it’s totally deserved name.

I also have yellow and cream/peach color In collection but it’s not mature enough to bloom yet

In the fall when I cleaned irises flowers bed for winter, some of the offshoots falling out and I just don’t have enough courage to throw it away and I just put them around in any available space lol hoping one day I’ll replant them. Last year some of them goes to rose planter. And here is a kicker – I don’t know what color I moved!

Thriving irises in box , put up on display huge shoots to bloom this spring. I was curious what color do we have, thinking it’s probably the blue one, since it’s rhizomes spread everywhere. To my surprise this Iris’s buds showed up much darker that supposed blue ones. I thought- Hmm , must be the red one than! Again , I have only 4 to choose from that was sitting in the same box.

When I saw it open I was shocked! What? How? – it was the dark purple just as I have in mind for future purchase! I pinched myself! Twice! It can’t be happening! No way! No how! – is it really ink purple? – yes ! my neighbor also agreed – it is! She couldn’t understand why I’m so surprised? I should’ve known my own flowers. The surprise was the color of the flowers!

I was trying to find explanation for this miraculous situation and thought – it’s probably crossbreeds! Yeah! That’s it! There is no other way around! Because I didn’t plant Iris of this color and I didn’t by anything new since I don’t have a space to plant it! Please don’t insult my intelligence – I didn’t forget that I bought it and plant it … nope! I don’t have an amnesia! This Iris is just arrived ! And arrived in full glory!

I googled how to crossbreed irises! The process is more complicated that initially thought and includes step of leaving flowers after blooming to produce the seeds. I always cut out flower heads after bloom and than cutting off stems that potentially could damage rhizomes when stem start to rot. This is basic of how to take care of bearded irises.

So , crossbreed version is fell out. No other thought but to think that’s is just a simple miracle! The miracle of manifestation. Believe it or not , it doesn’t matter. Because if you don’t believe in unicorn 🦄, unicorn is still believe in you! Enjoy the miracle!