Hey everyone! Are you enjoying all of the beautiful flowers popping up? I know I am. While I’ve always appreciated a beautiful garden or bed of flowers, it wasn’t until I got older that I grew a whole new appreciation of them. They are an incredible amount of work, and I am very honest in the fact that I’m terrible at it, and I don’t have the time I need to properly care for a garden. I try every year, but I just can’t seem to do it.
My paternal grandmother loved her garden, and she loved to watch things blossom. Each year, when I go through mine, checking to see what’s blooming (or dying!) I can almost feel her with me, though she’s been gone for many years now.
Flowers and gardens are so important to people. A single flower can bring back a precious memory, like that of a wedding bouquet or gift from a loved one. I suspect, that’s in part why many of those who settled in the West made sure to bring flower seeds with them.
My book, Iris, comes out this month, and just about the only thing Iris is good at, is gardening. As I was writing that, I wondered, were there particular types of flowers that were brought West? Obviously not every seed or bulb grows in every place. Did they adapt and become a new variety? We have several irises that were planted before we bought our house, and I enjoy them each year! I think I’d have found their bright specks of color very welcome if I were on the prairie. Look at these, aren’t they stunning?
Photos from BookBrush
It’s obvious that some flowers were also incredibly important to have, for their medical purposes, like evening primrose, horehound, or feverfew, but I bet some of these had sentimental purposes as well! I wonder if the iris had special meaning for anyone.
And speaking of irises, since that’s the title of my book, here are a few fun facts about the iris:
- Most pests do not like irises
- In Greek mythology, wherever Iris stepped, flowers sprang up.
- Iris means rainbow, and the bearded iris comes in nearly every color imaginable.
- The three upright petals on an iris flower stand for faith, wisdom, and valor.
- Some parts of the iris have been used medicinally
- Each color of an iris means something different
If you’d like to read more about my particular Iris, you can grab a copy of this novella for only .99!
Here’s the blurb:
Iris is a handful. Liam is in dire need of a wife. But is he that desperate?
Iris Green doesn’t mean to be such a walking disaster. Trouble just seems to find her though, and scares off all would-be suitors in the process. Unbeknown to her, her mother submits her name for a mail-order bride, thinking that’s the only way she’ll ever see her daughter married off.
Liam Gardener thinks it’s a hoot his potential bride has a flower as her name, it’s a perfect match for his last name, so it must be a good sign. However, moments after meeting her, he’s regretting it something awful. Iris comes in like a whirlwind and turns his quiet life upside down, and he’s not sure if he likes that.
When two very different personalities clash, will the outcome blossom into something special or will their future wilt before it even starts?
And here is my lovely cover! Quite iris-y. Is that a word? I think I’ll make it one!
You can click here to find it on Amazon.
In the meantime, tell me, do you grow any irises at your house?
Sarah is wife to an amazing teacher and mom to two boys who are growing up just a little too fast. She spends her days working and writing in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
I don’t have any here, but I did at my previous home and I do miss them. I had yellow and purple ones.
Those sound nice! I’ve never seen a yellow in person before!
No, not irises, but some sort of daffodil or jonquil blooms each year in our yard. African daisies (gazanias) grow vigorously, too; we attribute their arrival to birds, since we didn’t plant any. The type we have grows in clumps and their blossoms are mostly shades of orange with darker accents. We’ve come to let God do the gardening where flowers are concerned. Even the daisy bush that was my Mother’s day gift many years ago didn’t survive that year after being transplanted to the front flower bed area.
We have trouble with things surviving planting too. I’m not sure why. What you do have sounds beautiful though!
I do grow irises. I have a deep purple tricolor and a lavender one. They are so prolific I try to give some of the rhizomes away each year.
Ohhh!! A tricolor one?! That sounds so pretty!!
Your cover is beautiful.
We don’t have any irises. I have daffodils and daylilies.
Thank you! We have both of those flowers too! Daylilies are some of my favorites!
I don’t remember if my grandparents had any growing by the cabin in Maine.
I bet they had a few wild flowers popping up around there though, even if they didn’t have an iris!
yes I just planted some last year so this year will be a first for them to bloom – they are up, but the blooms aren’t yet!
Ohh! That’s so exciting! I hope they bloom wonderfully for you!
Howdy Sarah! Love the cover of your book! Yes, I have the Apostle plant also know as the Walking Iris. And it is only two years old and it’s a plant that is still giving! I’m amazed at all the blooms it has had! Wish I could post a picture! I did send pictures to Shanna Hatfield a few weeks ago! Have you heard of it? My mother’s friend gave her a clipping and I have gave clippings to my cousins and we have enjoyed sharing pictures of our clippings. I had 12 blooms a few weeks ago and I was so blessed to see that! But, since then, the plant has had more blooms! I counted over 20 the other day!
Your book sounds lovely! Happy Spring!
Oh my goodness! I am not familiar with that one, and I need to look it up. It sounds like it’s just stunning!
We have a LOT of Irises, they are very beautiful!
Oh I bet that’s so nice to look at!
I do not have any. I have considerably less than a green thumb. So it is a good thing I do not grow them.
Hahah!! I wish my thumb were greener! You aren’t alone!!
My favorite flowers are lilies and irises. I have lots of irises – deep purple, lemon yellow, 2 toned purple, pink, and my favorite 2 toned bronze. I give rhizomes away every year. When I look at the 2 toned purple, I remember my grandmother’s house. She had some growing next to where she would park her car.
Oh those sound just stunning!!!
I come from a long line of gardeners and have quite a few irises: deep purple, light purple, lemon yellow and white. When they bloom every year they bring loving thoughts of my Great Uncle Nick who was very proud of his Iris garden which were probably one of his favorite flowers.
That’s so wonderful you have good memories connected to an iris!
My mom has a lot of irises at her house that came from bulbs gathered from her late brother’s house. She also has daffodils and lilacs that came from her mother.
That’s really special! And since bulbs can be divided, those will be able to be shared with other family if they want!
I don’t have any now but I used to have them.
It’s hard work to get new ones planted. I bought some more about two months ago. They are still sitting near the front door, ugh!
We live in an apartment complex with 16 neighbors. Three of the units have no place to grow plants, and ours is one of them.
But I do enjoy watching the other’s plants bloom and flourish. My mom’s parents could make anything grow and were often asked to revive dying plants. I have not inherited their green thumbs.
Wow, it would be amazing to have a green thumb like that. I’m so sorry you have the luck of not being able to grow at your unit!
No, we don’t have any Irises. They are so beautiful. I love the cover for the book.
Thank you! I love that cover too! Irises are so pretty, I’d love one in any form!
Yes my mom and I both have Irises in several different colors. Some are light purple, dark purple, burgundy, yellow, white, and two toned to name a few.
Ohhh those sound so pretty!!
no I dont grow Iris’s. I grow many other flowers though. my moms mom grew purple iris’s. and they not only grew like crazy, but they spread out like crazy.
I bet you have some pretty flowers! I admire those who garden well! It’s not a talent I have.
I don’t grow irises. I do NOT have a green thumb!! All of the plants I have are on their own! If they bloom, great, if they don’t, fine, and if they die, oh well!! lol!! I have four crepe myrtles, one gardenia, one magnolia, two desert roses, two different orchids, and quite a few plumeria’s. I don’t do anything with them; they’re on their own. One of the orchids blooms almost year round, the other blooms once a year. The desert roses have blooms on them now, and the magnolia had it’s first bloom open last Saturday. I’m waiting on the others!
I hope you have a spring and summer full of blooms! I’m like you, if it grows, it grows! I verbally encourage, but that’s about all I’m good at in the garden!
My husband is in charge of our iris that line our driveway. The last two years he hasn’t been able to take as much care of them as in the past. At one time we had over 30 different colors. Now we are down to 20 some. Fortunately our youngest daughter took several of the peachy and yellow ones to her place and they have bloomed beautifully. Our iris rows are full of memories of family and friends who have shared theirs with us.
Wow! So many colors! I love how it’s a memory of those who shared theirs with you!
Hi Sarah, yes we have some orange, yellow and some purple Iris’s, I think they are beautiful and they dont need that much care. Your book sounds like a great read and your book cover is Gorgeous, I love it! Thank you so much for sharing about your book and about Iris’s . Have a Great week.
I bet those colors are so pretty together! I like it when a flower doesn’t need much care!
I will probably get lots of boo’s because when we moved into our present home, there were iris’s – all over, on all 4 sides of the home. No problem you say. Well, they were all PURPLE, every one of them. He must have gotten a special. I love lots of flowers but give me some variety. Exceptions are the lilac trees. I prefer the blue one color. What is beautiful in my eyes is lots and lots of color. Some early flowers die much too soon such as the orange lilies. Beautiful when they blossom, but then all gone until next year. Fortunately they multiply so I can enjoy more of them next year. Hallelujah. Thank the LORD for so many wonderful and beautiful plants and flowers.
I forgot to mention, I removed most of those purple iris’s. Also some spindly rose bushes which were not doing well at all due to too much heat.
I understand. We had some irises I removed too, because they were one here, one there and in an awkward overgrown with prickly bushes, etc. I left the ones in the better spot! I love lilac trees. I tried to order one for our yard, but they were all sold out. I’ll be earlier next year!
Growing up my Mom had iris around the house and yard in abundance. I took some when the house was sold and they now thrive at my place in Eastern Wyoming along with iris I rescued from my in-law’s place in Cheyenne. They came west when the family homesteaded in the 1880’s after a trek from Indiana and Iowa. Wish I could trace them further back but no one kept records except to say they were included in possessions heading west as a reminder of “home.”
Oh my goodness! That’s amazing how long they can last! That’s just such an incredible story. You’ve a real piece of history and I hope it can be passed down for many more generations!
No. We do not have any growing in our yard. We have a lilac tree, crocas, and a bleeding heart in bloom. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Ohhh nothing smells as nice as a lilac tree!
Irises and lilies are my two favorite flowers, with iris leading the pack. I have several in my yard which are “heritage” – they came from tubers which were in a garden of one of my father’s classmates whose son was a classmate of mine. And I graduated years ago, so that might tell you why they are vintage! I do love them.
I love these stories everyone has of their flowers coming from someone else’s!
I have always had irises and peonies in my garden in most places we have lived. The peonies I have now came from an old house they were tearing down. They let my husband come in and dig them up before demolition. I think I got some irises there also.
I love my gardens, but I have too many of them. 32 years ago when we got this house it wasn’t as much of an issue. Now I can’t keep up with the weeds. I just this week got to weed one of the beds. It is late for that. My beds are covered with weeds. At least the ones outside our main door have lots of flowers on them.
One thing I have noticed the past few years, is the colors of my irises are changing. I had 6 or 7 different varieties, but noticed many are coming up plain purple and white. I had some lovely varieties. The only ones npt effected are the yellow ones. The iris is the state flower for TN, so it pops up in a lot of things. The neighboring town has an annual iris festival every May. Maybe they can tell me how this happens.
Isn’t it unfair how fast the weeds pop up? And how easily they thrive? That’s strange about your iris colors changing! I hope you get an answer to that.