I love looking at the Iris catalogue! And so I always have to buy at least one new iris each year.
The iris collection that I bought this year included 16 iris bulbs and I'm already thinking about where I will plant them. I didn't buy any of the new hybrid irises - that was a little to pricey for me. I was able to buy 16 irises in the Adventurer Collection for the price that I would have paid for two of the new hybrid irises. So that felt like a better deal to me!
The thing about buying from Schreiner's catalog is that the irises don't arrive until summer -- and then you have to wait until fall to plant, and so these irises that I just purchased won't bloom until spring 2023.
And that's the best thing about gardening. It is a testament to hope. And patience. And the belief that spring will come again.
I remember when my mom was in her last days. She lived with us in a little guest house in our backyard, and even though she was very ill, she would always wander outside in the sunshine each day, and do one thing in the garden. One day I caught her bending down over a spent iris, still in her bathrobe, and using the garden shears to trim back its leaves so that it would bloom again the next spring.
We would lose her before the next iris season arrived, but that little plant bloomed again. And was grateful for her care. And her belief in spring against all odds.
What a wonderful lesson she taught me by tending to her irises in the garden. Thanks, mom.