Irises

Another beautiful late spring day, cool but sunny and great for a little more work in the garden.  But the flowers are passing so quickly that you only see them with their best blooms for 3-4 days at a time, then they're gone.  I can hardly keep track of what I'm seeing the garden changes so fast at this time of year.

 

These irises were in their best condition nearly a week ago, before the storm that brought so much rain and then the colder temperatures.  They're already pretty well gone now.  But I love the flowers, especially the tiny 'beard' that runs down the middle of the lower petals.  And they come in an amazing variety of colours.

I think I like the dark purple ones best, though these deep brownish-red ones are nice too.  We also have some white and yellow ones - though nothing beats the royal blue of the tiny early spring iris (see April 13th).