Canuckgardener,
Over the years I have read this same scenario several times from people about their iris were purple and now all they have are white iris.No one has been able to definitely solve the mystery it seems.There was one that went from yellow to white I remember seeing.
All the ideas have pretty much been the same,did you deadhead ,etc.It seems one year they are purple and the next all are white.These are older common iris varieties I am referring to.