There are only a handful of flowers that were planted on our property, and this is one is among our most magnificent. For a couple of years after moving here, there were about half a dozen Bearded Iris flower stalks that bloomed, but unfortunately this area gets flooded when it rains heavily and I'm afraid the bulbs rotted. The plants seem to be making a come back, but this is the only stalk of flowers that bloomed. I made the most of it though, so tonight I'm showing the pictures seperately and not nested together as I have with other flowers. I hope you like them! :)

The Bearded Iris is native to Germany, and gets its name for the fuzz or "beard" that grows on the three lower petals, which are called "falls". The inner upper petals are called "the standard." This flower was so beloved by the king of France that it was chosen for their national emblem, the fleur-de-lis! (Conflicting information states the Yellow Flag Iris--Iris pseudacorus--was the flower used for the stylized emblem.) In any event, the Bearded Iris is an extremely popular flower. Like daffodils and crocus, once you plant irises, you'll get beautiful flowers every year without doing anything, and they will also multiply over the years! These flowers are also very adaptability to different soils and climates, and can tolerate droughts too! :)!

If you would like to know more about Bearded Iris, The American Iris Society has a great page here: Bearded Iris Classifications. For more information about irises in general, Wiki has a great page here: Wiki: Iris