The Illustrious Iris

Facebook can be a wonderful thing. Although I often get annoyed by many political posts, false information and foolish comedy, these can be scrolled past, leaving me to get at least one belly laugh a day from clever humor, discover interesting information on stuff that I didn't even know existed, and then occasionally, an unexpected local wonder will appear. This happened late on Sunday as I was having my final scroll of the day before reaching for my book. A vibrant photo of an iris, in colors I'd never seen before, popped up on to my screen and upon clicking on it, I was informed that only an hour and a half away in West Virginia was an iris farm, with hundreds of varieties of these majestic blooms. I would visit the next day, anxious to have a trip out, but one that would not entail being among crowds of people. After a scenic drive through small towns and countryside I became aware that the front yards of homes were all exhibiting stands of brightly colored irises, evidently customers of Exline Iris Garden, and then I suddenly saw flashes of bright colors through the trees and excitedly entered a small parking lot, delighted to find that as the farm had just opened for the day, there was only a small handful of visitors.

The owners, Whrelda and Harry Pittman. were both very welcoming and explained everything fully before sending me off with a clipboard, on which a few pages of paper were attached, with small type listing all the irises, and a pen. I looked around in bewilderment for a few seconds not knowing how or where to begin and then decided that being methodical would be the best plan. So I started at the top of the field and walked back and forth along the rows until I reached the bottom.

At first I had to fight to restrain myself. The organized part of me was working out how to mark the irises I had to have versus the ones that were a probable buy, and also the ones that stood a good chance of purchase once I got to the end. But as I began studying each flower I started photographing each and every one, the delicate intricacy of the petals and beards, the horns, the texture, the scent, the gradients of the colors and even the tiny insects that were roaming inside and out of the flowers. My impulsive side had me scurrying from one to the next, then stopping as I realized I'd forgotten to mark my favorites. But really, there could be no favorites. I stood and looked around, relishing each and every bloom. This was an exquisite paradise.

Even the buds were gorgeous, crinkled edges about to unfurl their flag petals.

Before today's visit I had not really stopped to give irises much thought. They had always been my father's favorite flower and even though I have some already in my front garden, I had admired them but just taken them for granted. But today as my eyes took in these incredible blooms I knew I was going to love them from now on, and I also knew that I wanted a collection. I decided that one of my grass banks at the front of the house would become iris beds, with a variety of glorious hues upon noble heads greeting passers by as they drove or walked past to enter the cemetery. As I drove here today I had also decided that I would spend about $40, maybe $50, if I saw some delectable delights that I simply had to own. I ended up leaving with my bank account being $200 less but also with a huge grin of happiness, knowing that I'd found a new love in my life. 

Some of the irises above are beauties that I had put on my list, but with my lack of organization from being so overwhelmed, I neglected to record each picture. So some of them are varieties that I have bought and others are ones that had sold out this year but will hopefully be available next year. I have those names on my 'wanted' list. My rhizomes will be shipped to me in either July or August, giving me time to dig out some beds. I didn't want to pick them up, just in case I left with another huge hole in my wallet, but I am very much looking forward to them arriving, as though I were awaiting the arrival of a dear friend from overseas.  Two of my photos which I was able to identify as purchases are the Millenium Falcon above, purple and white, and Before The Storm, below, the blackest flower I'd ever seen.

And again, thanks to Facebook, Whrelda and Harry are experiencing their best year so far in 4 years. Due to horrendous weather the past 2 years they had lost 137 varieties, but this year the plants looked happy and healthy, and a lot of visitors were purchasing their favorites, many of whom had, like me, had only discovered Exline Iris Garden the day before on their Facebook feed. They have a wonderful website, full of information and photos here.