It’s iris time!
Maroon PCH iris.
The first one I saw blooming this year in our garden was a Pacific Coast Hybrid (PCH, usually a hybrid with Iris douglasiana), which we got last year from a California Native Plant Society plant sale. No interesting variety or cultivar name for this one, its label had read “Iris PCH: Huge maroon w[ith] black fall[s], buff outline.” The flowers aren’t huge, about the same size as other cultivated PCHs I’ve seen. Still, pretty.
I keep thinking that PCHs usually bloom later, like late Spring or Summer. I’ll keep an eye on the older PCHs in the garden —although those might need dividing and/or fertilizer before they flower again.
Several of the bearded irises are also in bloom. I enjoy how the flower goes from a neatly folded bud to the unfurling state. Sure, the bud might seem unexciting, and the unfolding part a bit chaotic. But for me the colors then often seem more rich and saturated, compared to when it’s completely opened.
Top view of unfurling “Terra Rosa” bearded iris.
More pictures are in the gallery’s iris album.