As an Iris enthusiast, I have been asked the same question many times by new or non gardeners, that tends to make me giggle a bit while trying to answer. Usually, it goes something like this: "I have this Iris, maybe you can tell me what it is. It has green leaves, and purple flowers, what is it?"

Here is a bit of what is going through my mind:



Have you been asked this question?

in a word, yes. One time I had garden visitors from a garden club who were looking at the blooms and reading the names of the irises. One iris bed had markers that were faded and they could not read the names on them but I told them each irises name. It was my bed, my irises and I knew those names. One said to the other in a relieved tone, 'we don't have to mark our irises, she knows all their names. She can just come to our gardens and tell us our irises names.' OMG!

There is another misconception passed down by gardeners who have 'heard it' from a real gardener so it must be true. If you plant two different colored irises close together the stronger iris color will influence the weaker iris color and they will all become the same color. In the beginning I tried to explain that perhaps a iris seed had fallen into the clumps or perhaps a much more aggressive rhizome of one iris had crowded out the lesser aggressive one. I still hear it. People who grow irises will say 'I am going to have to move the yellow ones away from the white ones or they will all be yellow in a few years. Unless I am speaking to a group I don't say anything anymore.

Yep, I've attempted that explanation before too. I don't try very often any more, some folks don't like hearing that grandma was mistaken LOL.

I've heard that one too, or some will say, I used to have lots of colors, but they all reverted back to purple.

Sometimes in that situation one has simply stopped blooming, probably due to overcrowding. There have been times I've divided a group, thinking they were all the same, only to find unexpected surprises the next year.

'I grow irises' --'oh, the yellow one or the purple one'? I am sure that you all have had that conversation.

The legend of 'reverting' happens in other plants as well. It seem strange that people know that there are different roses. a better job of education.

Yes, Lucy, I have heard that one too. 'I have THE yellow one but she has THE purple one. Now I am going to the THE white one and I will have them all.' And when one lady saw the dwarf irises she said 'Aw, what happened to your lovely irises? They are so stunted.' I explained that they were dwarf irises and that I bought them like that she said. 'Oh' with a funny look that actually said - why would anyone do that. LOL

I am sure that iris clubs try to educate. Needs big newspaper articles.

When I was out in my garden this year, on more than one occasion I had people stop and ask if they were daylillies. I guess people don't grow irises enough around here.

Daylilies? Omigosh...................

This goes along with the purple/yellow misconception. In response to the photos I post on FB, It's hear, "I had no idea they came in so many colors".

These uneducated ones must be the same people who label those sold in the big box stores and some other places! Also found that many don't really want to know the truth about grandma or someone else. "Don't confuse me with facts, my mind is made up."

Love your friend in the avatar Sherry.

Funny, Dave. I can just see the labelers now 'uh, yellow iris, why do they want us to write some silly stuff on it for a name? I'll just go with this short name for the whole batch.' LOL

I learned a long time ago that Granny smarts were based partly on experience and learned practices and a lot on superstition...... here is one I heard as a girl. To get rid of warts, steal a dirty dish cloth, take it outside by the light of the moon, find the stump of an ash tree and bury it on the north side of the stump, circle the stump three times...... a very good thing I did not get warts or my Mama would have been really perplexed over her missing dish cloths.... each one embroidered and crocheted with lace edgings.

Too funny, Bonnie!

I get asked that question, too! Lol I think my neighbors are a bit odd.

"I have this flower that was here when we moved in. (Shows me iris flower) It isn't the same color as yours so it isn't an iris, right?" Uhmmm...

The other I get asked is "What's that?" So many of my neighbors (poor souls) don't know what they have. I'll be weeding or planting in the backyard and they come right on back with this poor withered thing and want me to tell them what they did wrong. Sigh...

So many people my age, or nearly, have said 'Pink iris? How did you make your iris turn pink?' ????

OMG Bonnie...........................

I know how I'd answer that! "I tell 'em dirty jokes, that makes 'em blush"