iris

Sometime in the history of our home, irises were planted along our front driveway.  They line the entire barrier wall, which starts at the end of the driveway leading up to the house.   It’s now our third summer seeing them bloom.  The first year, I only noticed the vibrant blue ones and vaguely remember wondering why there was one plant that was different.  It didn’t fit in and I immediately thought I didn’t like it.

Last year though, I paid close attention to that “different” plant.  I fell in love with the subtly varying tones.  Shades of mauve, purple and even yellow drew me in.  I was fascinated by the fact that so many tones could be seen on one bloom.  This year, I wanted in anticipation for them to bloom again, secretly plotting how I would add them to an arrangement.

Finally the time has arrived.  I had hoped to book a wedding this weekend, I was in talks with a lovely bride who was dreaming of a luscious amethyst and mauve celebration to take place this weekend.  But apparently it was not to be, despite my dreaming of placing these amazing flowers in her bridal bouquet.

I gathered a few other ingredients from the yard, as well a couple carnations that I happen to have laying around the house and put together a quick arrangement, in a cereal bowl, none the less.

I started creating this arrangment. Photographed it.  And then I reevaluated.

I fluffed it some more, added a couple other goodies and then carried it around the house to photograph in a couple different locations, just for fun.

What’s growing in your yard right now?  Any ingredients have you inspired?  I’d love to hear about them.  Follow along for my weekly flower feature on Instagram with #TLJfloweroftheweek.

The scents of spring are disappearing.  The lilacs are gone and honeysuckle is fading fast.  There’s still a fragrance as you turn down our dusty road, but it’s evolving and being replaced by other sights.

Right now the charmer that has me captivated are the oddly shaped irises.  I never used to like these flowers.  I thought they were dated and more of a grandma flower.  I wasn’t a fan of their bold blue shades as they were a little too vibrant for my tastes.  But as time wears on, I’ve began to appreciate them more and more.

A wise flower lover once told me that “there are no bad flowers, only bad flower combinations”.  And I think perhaps this was the problem.  I’m not huge on highly contrasting arrangements that jump out at you, and every time someone paired them in a centerpiece, it was yellow and blue and just not my style.  However, I failed to realize 2 very important things.  1. There are ways to pair theirs blue tones in a more subtle manor that still celebrate their beauty (I actually have really learned to love blue flowers in recent years) and 2. Iris come is so many colors, so many that aren’t blue.  They have tones and variations that make describing their palette nearly impossible.  Those are the irises that have me really excited.

They started regain my attention when I heard of Iris Farms in Traverse City (about 1 ½ hours north of me).  I drove past and was so sad that I didn’t have time to stop.  I haven’t been able to set up a visit by want to desperately to make a trip.  Alas, I think it’s going to have to wait yet another year.   Then last spring I was about to attend Tinge Floral’s Workshop and the irises took center stage.  She designed entire tablespaces around these unique blooms and I was able to create an arrangement of my own using the most unusually colored brown ones, which were absolutely my favorite (and possibly my favorite centerpiece I’ve ever created).

Photography: Ciara Richardson Photography | Floral Design (1st two iris arrangements): Tinge Floral | Floral Design (last centerpiece): Shelby of The Day’s Design

Like last week, irises will be the theme this week and at the end of the week I’ll share a few of my favorite pictures from throughout the week in my Instagram stories.  Follow along with #TLJfloweroftheweek and tag your own irises as well.