iris | Beautiful Flower Pictures Blog

Purple and White Bearded Irises

by hankinslawrenceimages | Jun 26, 2013 | Flowers, Iridaceae Family

I posted the first few iris photos I took at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens a few weeks ago. I’ve been having a wonderful time editing the other photos I took there – my challenge was how to organize them so that I don’t end up posting a random bunch of irises. I’ve decided to post them by color.

So the next few iris photos I’ll be sharing are some of the purple and white irises I photographed.

Xanadu

Wintry Sky

Tennison Ridge

Suky

Sierra Grande

Rare Treat

Presby’s Crown Jewel

I’ll have a few more purple and white iris photos to share with you in a few weeks – once I finish sorting and editing them all.

Broken Color Irises

by hankinslawrenceimages | Jun 17, 2013 | Flowers, Iridaceae Family

I recently spent some time photographing at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in New Jersey (yes – that means lots of blog posts with iris photos!). Established in 1927 in honor of Frank Presby – a founder of the American Iris Society, Presby Gardens has thousands of varieties of irises on display for a few short weeks in the spring.

To me, the most spectacular irises I photographed were the Broken Color Irises. I wasn’t familiar with these irises before visiting Presby Gardens – but they certainly caught my eye when I spotted them. Each iris is different from the next – each having a unique pattern of splashes of color. It turns out the splashes are the result of a genetic instability in the plants.

Here are some of my favorite photos of the broken color irises I photographed.

Purple Streaker

Gnu Blues Iris

Gnu Again Iris

I really liked the Broken Color Irises – can’t wait to find more varieties of them to photograph.

Irises – Versicolor and Virginica

by hankinslawrenceimages | Dec 3, 2012 | Flowers, Iridaceae Family

As regular readers of my blog know – I love irises. I’d been familiar with the dwarf irises that bloom early in the spring – and with the bearded irises – for a long time. In recent years, I’ve learned about and photographed two more species of irises – iris versicolor and iris virginica.

The versicolor irises are also known as the flag irises. They are native to North America. Here are some of the various iris versicolors I’ve photographed.

A Blue Flag Iris

Blue Flag Iris - iris versicolor

A Northern Blue Flag Iris

Iris Versicolor - Northern Blue Flag Iris

Harlequin Blue Flag Irises

Harlequin Blue Flag Iris - Iris versicolor

John Wood Iris

John Wood Iris - iris versicolor

The virginica irises are very similar to the versicolor irises. They are also commonly called flag irises – and are native to North America. Here are the two varieties of iris virginica that I’ve photographed.

Southern Blue Flag Iris - iris virginica

Southern Wanderer Blue Flag Iris

Southern Wanderer blue flag iris - iris virginica

I’m already looking forward to next spring – and wondering what other versicolor and virginica irises I can find.

If you enjoyed these photos, please feel free to share them on Facebook & Twitter.

Connecting with Memories of Flowers Past

by hankinslawrenceimages | Oct 17, 2012 | Iridaceae Family, Photo of the Month

Beautiful Vision is a wonderful bearded iris I’ve photographed several times over the years. But until this year – I hadn’t quite captured the delicate colors and shapes of the flower. So when I found this one earlier this year – I was thrilled to be able to photograph it against the soft green background and show off the ruffles along the edges of the petals and delicate shades pink, purple and peach in this flower.

I’ve always loved bearded irises. One of my first memories of flowers is a bed of bearded irises outside the front door in the house I grew up in. My mother planted the irises in the early 1960s – and they bloomed every spring.

So now, when I’m photographing flowers – and I see a bearded iris – I’m taken right back to my memories of the wonderful multi-colored irises I remember from my childhood. And it turns out – I’m not the only person who has that reaction to bearded irises. I can’t tell you how many times someone looking at my photos sees the irises – and starts talking about the ones they remember from their mother’s or grandmother’s gardens. And it’s not just the bearded irises that get that reaction – people seem to be drawn to the flowers that they remember from their childhoods or other significant events in their lives. Do you have a favorite flower that you remember from your childhood? If you do, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to leave a note in the comments section below.

Beautiful Vision Bearded Iris is my October 2012 Photo of the Month. Until October 31, SAVE 20% off the regular prices for Beautiful Vision Bearded Iris.

Siberian Irises

by hankinslawrenceimages | Jun 13, 2012 | Flowers, Iridaceae Family

Siberian Irises (iris siberica) are one of the late spring stars at local botanical gardens. Their blossoms add wonderful splashes of color among all the shades of green.

Siberian Irises are members of the iris family – native to northern Asia and eastern and central Europe. Like other irises, their blossoms have six segments. The inner three petals stand upright – and are known as standards. The outer three sepals droop outward and are known as falls. Their flowers tend to be smaller and more delicate than those of bearded irises. They do not have the fuzzy beards found on the bearded irises.

Siberian irises can be found in shades of blue, purple, yellow, white and red. The ones I’ve photographed have been in the blue/purple color range.

Like other irises, Siberian Irises are perennials. Once established, they need very little care. They prefer moist well-drained soil, but can grow in drier soils. They are fine in everything from full sun to partial shade.

Most Siberian Irises grow to 12 to 25 inches tall. Some varieties can grow to 40 inches. The foliage looks like a narrow grass and can change to shades of yellow and orange in the fall.

The irises have pretty much finished blooming for the spring in the DC area. I’ve photographed lots of wonderful irises this spring – so don’t be surprised to see additional blog posts about irises in the coming weeks.

« Older Entries

Next Entries »