Dwarf Crested Iris can be found growing in the wild from New York to Florida and as far west as Arkansas. They grow prolifically around my mountain holler.
Their color can vary from pale blue to a deeper purple. Some are even white, although I’ve never seen one.
The small pant is like the large Siberian iris you often see growing in flowerbeds, only in miniature form.
The beautiful spring wildflower often grows in small clumps. They are like Bloodroot (one of my favorite spring wildflowers) in the sense that by mid summer they completely disappear waiting for next spring to make their presence known again.
Yesterday I shared about Uncle Henry’s great love for growing things. I was tickled to death to prove him wrong one time.
When we first moved into our house I transplanted some wild iris from the woods to my flowerbeds. Henry said they’d never live, but he was wrong and they are still blooming all these years later.
When I showed him a few years after transplanting them he said well he sure was surprised. 🙂
Last night’s video: Planting Flowers for Granny.
Tipper
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Growing up with my Pa in the woods I learned to call them ‘blue flag irises’.
We lived for a time in an area only a few hundred yards from the Brazos River. The only way the land could be developed was by building a large earthen levee around the hundreds of acres that were developed. Walking the levee was a favorite pastime for many in the area. My bride spotted a large clump of blue flags on the ouside of the levee and went to take a small bouquet. A newborn fawn lay in among them. We didn’t see it until she touched it causing it to move.
What a pretty picture of your wild dwarf iris. You always take such good photos. I have not seen those growing around here. There is, however, a big circle of purple iris in our woods, about the size of an old round washtub. They are just about 8 inches tall right now, but they will be taller and blooming before you know it. They are the ones about to be hidden from my window view by a garage. I will have to decide if and where to move them later on. I don’t remember planting them, so they must be wild. By the way, it was great seeing your Mama on the video last evening. She looked beautiful and so do her flowers— so sweet of you all to plant them for her. She’s like my mama and would love to be doing it herself if she was able.
I don’t know much about flowers, I am sure I see some of the ones you write about but don’t know what they are. Not dwarf, but there was some iris along the edge of my yard that would never bloom. My son moved and replanted it in another place. I noticed yesterday it now has very pretty yellow blooms on it.
I bought my wife two rhododendrons not long after we moved here in early 1994. She wanted to plant them, in full sun, on both sides of the driveway entrance. My son-in-law, who is a state certified landscape designer, told her they would not live there. He was right, sort of. One of them died after only 20 years. The other is still going strong and is a mass of purplish blooms as we speak.
Hi again Tipper – I just read the blog you wrote in September 10, 2010 about an old Lodge tea kettle made in the 1930’s. What a treasure!!! 🙂 I was wondering if you still have it and what you use it for? I have heard of the word stove ‘eye’ used by some folk – more so when growing up – but over the years it seemed to change to the more common term of ‘burner’ although ‘eye’ is still used by some.
Wanita-we do still have it 🙂 It is sitting on our porch as a decoration.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen those pretty flowers growing wild here in Kentucky. A large clump of miniature wild tiger lilies grows down in the bottom and survived the transplant to under my sunroom window ten years ago. Their deep orangish red color and black spots are a unique color combination that can be seen from a quarter of a mile down the road. This is the time of year when the little bright red flowers grow in the hills of Appalachia, especially in the hilly eastern part of the state. I don’t know their name, but I read that they can only be found in a few southern states. My brother-in-law used to pick a bouquet for my sister every Mother’s Day.
They definitely are a beautiful flower Tipper, but then I don’t think I’ve ever seen a flower that I don’t like, wild or not. We have an assortment of wild flowers here but I don’t recall ever seeing a wild Iris.
Those are the ones I grew up seeing in Kentucky in the Cumberland Plateau country. They are very common there. Here in the upper edge of the Georgia Piedmont though I have never seen them. Instead I see the Spring Iris (Iris verna). At first look they appear the same but a closer look reveals that spring iris does not have the fuzzy “crests” on the petals. I have a small patch of spring iris that was here when we came and has slowly spread since. I’m confident it was begun with wild transplants. They have already bloomed and gone. But our two solid white “Pristine” mountain laurels are blooming now.
Hi Tipper , as a kid growing up there was a patch in woods beside our house. I loved those little iris. my brother would aggravate me and tell me they were bear grass not flowers. I would get so upset with him, he knew that would aggravate me. that’s why he did it. I love the memory now. He’s been gone almost 9 years now. something the older I get, the more precious are the memories.
I love wild flowers. My husband and I took a trip to Alaska which included the Yukon and into the Alaska near Mount McKinley (Denali). We went in June and while the area was extremely beautiful the thing I remember most was the wildflowers. Every color you can imagine. It is so beautiful to think that even in a harsh permafrost environment, God places beauty.
I really do not think I personally have run across dwarf crested iris, but I must say I’ve been missing the boat on this pretty, actually unbelievable bloom. I’m a lookin’ and I’m a likin’! I think you’re fortunate indeed to have the dwarf crested iris in your flower beds. A little while in spring to enjoy fauna is better than none and it gives us something to ponder and get excited about every year! I will be looking for it. The edges are the tell for me…
They are beautiful!
How pretty. I’ve never seen the “Dwarf Crested Iris.” My Irises are blooming right now, a beautiful purple. They look so pretty next to the pink and white peonies next to them ready to bloom. A bush of deep pink and one of white azaleas are blooming in front of the house. Also, along the side is a bush of dark pink rhododendrons blooming. I’m glad, Tipper, you were able to transplant the wild iris because usually wild plants don’t live. I enjoyed your video planting flowers for Granny. I could see the joy in her face of being with her family and even though she wasn’t able to do much just being outdoors and with you all was enjoyable. She is a dear lady.
Those are so pretty! I’ve not seen those around here, so I’ll have to keep an eye out for them and see if they’re growing around here. I have a flower bed that is a mix of native wildflowers and other perennials and it’s really pretty to look at through out the season.
Those are so beautiful! I am happy your transplanted ones are thriving in your own flower gardens, Tipper. I recently saw some in the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. It’s not a formal flower garden there, but represents the different regions of NC with their own native plants.
Those dwarf iris certainly are pretty. I’m reminded of my uncle Howard or Uncle Jr as we called him. It seemed he could take almost anything and plant it and it would blossom into something beautiful. Never seen anyone with such a green thumb. He always had the most beautiful flowers beds.
So lovely! This time of year just makes me so happy with all the flowers bursting into bloom!
I’d love to be able to grow those here in Oklahoma. Many of the new iris that we planted 2 years ago are now blooming. They were gifted to me and we had no idea what color they might be. To my surprise, they are a light peach color and also some have white centers with peach on the outside. I’ve never seen this color before. Since we live in Stillwater, home of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, whose colors are orange and black, I call these faded orange. . The rest of my iris are varying shades of purple with just one that is yellow.
I am in Shawnee (grew up in the country in Seminole county) I have been able to grow all kinds of irises of course the old timey ones (transplants that we dug up at old home places are what we have best luck with) so be encouraged you can get them to grow, my only advice is that any iris planted any deeper than just below the surface will take sometimes several years to bloom. I am at the time of this writing watching OSU girls playing Texas (softball) on YouTube—goooo cowgirls
can you tell me where you buy your heirloom tomatoes for planting. specifically the Cherokee purple? I live in hiawassee so I can shop where you shop and I am not finding any over here. thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your family.
Jennifer, we start our tomatoes from seed. Satterfields nursery in Robbinsville has heirlooms and a few folks have said they have seen Cherokee Purples at some big box stores like Walmart and Lowe’s. Local flea markets or farmers markets might have someone selling heirlooms.