I got this iris and it was named Cherubs smile
it is surely not that nor is it pink?
Do you know what it is
Beards are a blue an the iris is reddish purple
Sheri

Check out "Sultry Mood", as a possible....Arlyn

Yes -- looks a lot like my *Sultry Mood* (my avatar)

It sure does look like it. I think your avatar is so pretty. Lovely Iris!!!

Thanks Mona!

Incidentally -- I think that every one of us have purchased *Cherub's Smile* -- a two-rhizome package at Walmart's, right? Beautiful oink photo on the label? And I think every one of us have had something else entirely, bloom. That is, those of us who were lucky enough for the shriveled, dried rhizome to survive and bloom at all. Mine didn't survive. Learned a great lesson -- DO NOT BUY IRISES AT WALMART!!!!

Any rate -- your rhizomes survived, and you got a pretty Iris to boot. You're way ahead of the game, even if you never identify it!!

There are good iris nurserys around, Not every plant has to be a new introduction. The worst feature there is the postage. Iris societies sometimes have sales. One does have to divide the plants. Our sale is very other year & is July 27 At Verrill Farm in Concord MA.

That's a good point , Lucy. I need to "check" for a local iris club, or society, and join! The one's I'm aware of in Illinois, are both about 100 miles from me, and while this is not a huge distance, in this day and age, it's too far to be "handy".The county extension hosts a "master gardener" program, and has a plant sale, but there aren't too many iris. Hostas seem to be the perennials of choice, and there are always lots of annuals....Arlyn

If they have a sale, you don't need to be a member to buy. Ask for a schedule whether you join or not. their irises would be hardy in your area. Start your own club.

I am laughing too from the replies
yes it was a walmart or Lowes special package and sure turned to be Sultry mood
you named it..LOL
thank you so much!
Now I can type a label for it and put it by it!

Sheridragonfly

Alright -- you'all are not gonna believe this.

Years ago, I bought the afore-mentioned two packages of Irises from Walmart. One was the infamous Cherub's Smile, and one was a purple variety whose name I have long since forgotten.

The rhizomes in both packages were in very bad shape, and ultimately the Cherub's Smile rhizomes died. The purple Iris didn't die, but it never bloomed. Every year it would send up some leaves, create a few increases and then go dormant in the Fall. I think this has been going on for five years now.

Well!! This year the now pretty-good sized clump sent up a bunch of bloom stalks and yesterday one of them opened. Guess what it looked like???



Sheri's Sultry Mood!!!

That's only part of the story.

Last year I had bloom stalks on a clump of supposedly *Batik* -- given me the previous year by a friend. When the blooms opened, they were -- guess what? -- Sultry Mood! Found out by doing some sleuth work, and talking with the person who gave the rhizomes to me who checked his records as to which Irises he had thinned the year before.

Now here's the rest of the story: The mixed-up Batik rhizomes which turned out to be Sultry Mood were planted in a bed under the maple tree -- right next to the mystery Iris from Walmart, which turned out to be Sultry Mood!! When I saw that open bloom on the Walmart Iris yesterday -- I stood there totally perplexed -- the brain thinking "I thought I moved that Iris to Iris Lane last year" (I did) "Did I not dig up all of the rhizomes?" (I did) "Wait a minute -- is that the Walmart Iris?" (it was) "Omigosh -- that's the Walmart Iris!" (it is) "It's the exact same Iris as the mixed-up Batik Iris right next to it last year!"

And now that I think about it -- I vaguely remember the picture on the package from Walmart and the name. Very vaguely. But you don't suppose that it was the purple Iris rhizomes that died, and that these are the Cherub's Smile Iris -- since Sheri's Cherub's Smile turned out to be Sultry Mood? Or -- someone's version of Cherub's Smile? Surely the packers of Walmart Irises are consistent!!

Regardless, it's a gorgeous Iris -- and now I have lots of it!!! Who knew that Irises came with so much mystery and intrigue???

Someone is sending you a message, MaryAnn! Your Karma obviously leans to "Sultry Mood !!...Arlyn

Buy from growers. ☺ Many of them have cheaper plants in a 'close-out section. Well worth it except for shipping costs.

You're SO right Lucy! But then I wouldn't have that great story to tell, would I???

with Arlyn and with, you, Mary Ann. Love the story.

Muddy Mitts

you have me laughing again after your last post!

I am not crazy for this Sultry Mood but I do admire
its personality and how determined it seems
if that were possible...LOL
to live in your flower bed and like a fairy tale
it is as if it jumped in a package or in some iris
bunch and came home to our flower beds....
wanting to live and live with us and other people..

I can not blame Sultry Mood for that!

I am sitting here admiring my 9 Clematis on tall trellis this morning
all in full bloom and some daylilys opening and one yellow iris
left blooming and some Black Blue salvia and red perennial salvia
in full bloom..

Cats are asleep, they have been up all night so they are inside now
on the chairs asleep..full and happy...80 some degrees today and blue skies..

Everyone have a good day as possible


Sheri

It's great to be able to solve a garden mystery but I absolutely love your story! And you are a very patient gardener, waiting that long for the iris to bloom, I probably would have tossed it long ago.

Thanks Sue!

Well -- I wasn't gonna use that space for anything else at the time. And I had plenty of other work to do without digging up a mystery!! So I just let it become. And very glad that I did!!

You know that it is a hardy plant.

For sure! It wanted to live!!!