Delights of the Heart: Schreiner's Iris Garden

Friday, May 24, 2024

Schreiner's Iris Garden - Oregon

What does an iris flower symbolize?

"The most common meanings include hope, wisdom, trust and valour, making it a great flower to have around the house. The iris has also been known to mean nobility as it's been long associated with royalty all throughout history - especially in France and Italy."

It may be strange to you, but iris is not a flower I particularly like in my garden. I am not sure if it is the scent or the fact that it doesn't hold up well when picked and brought inside. I do appreciate them in other gardens and they are quite beautiful. So off this week to visit the Scheiner's Iris Gardens near Salem, Oregon. I absolutely love how they have combined the iris with lupines in some of the beds. Lupines bring fond memories to me of walking on a trail on Mt. Cook in New Zealand many years ago. As I walked the trail took me through a large field of lupines in colors I had never seen before. I tucked a few seeds in my pocket and brought them home. For several years they grew in my own garden and I loved remembering that walk.

The iris is one of the more easy to grow perennials. Though I prefer seeing them in other gardens I do have one beauty in my own garden. It surprises me each year that it is still there, as I don't give it any attention.

"In the springtime, the heart regrows hope." Angie Weiland-Crosby

Do you love irises?

Walking this week in the Schreiner's Iris Garden I was truly amazed at all the varieties of color and styles. Some were black or had touches of bright orange, some were soft lavenders and blues, some were full of ruffles like a ballerinas skirt and some were quite simple and said "notice me too".

There were many artists sitting in the garden painting, for they were noticing too.

Here's a bit of a photo dump: