A Place for Heirloom Irises II

The Iris Garden at Merry Mount

This week the iris bed at Merry Mount burst forth in full bloom.  In addition to the plants that were located here at the time of our purchase of the property, there are rhizomes that were transplanted from several locations in Tennessee and Indiana.

Purple Irises with Hues of Gold and Fragility

The purple Irises glistened 
in the morning stillness 
with three tongues that lick 
as if to catch a dew drop
upon each tip 
Golden bearded and strong 
these living gems 
calling for those lucky enough 
to scent and see them. 
Rhizomes barely catch the earth, 
with roots that serve as a place of rebirth 
Dividing as they go 
year after year, they double in show 

Oh, this beauty with for my eyes to see 
I cannot keep them for only me 
with friends true I shall share. 
and next year bring to them 
this joy I find in 
a purple world with hues of gold and fragile love.

         -Chris Lane

I remember one autumn when Robbie (Loretta’s dad) brought a grocery bag full of freshly dug rhizomes from their property in Cunningham, TN to us in Columbus.  He had “thinned them out” and wanted to share with us.  We, unfortunately, do not know from whose stock Robbie shared.

I do know that the beautiful white irises (pictured above) came from my Mother’s garden on Colchester Court in Knoxville, TN.  During a visit to Knoxville in the autumn of 2016, just before the property was sold, Mother specifically told me where the white irises were located and that she wanted me to take some back with me to Merry Mount.  Mother also wanted my cousin Sharon to have some of her rhizomes for her garden. We dug up the rhizomes and transported them to their new homes. We have enjoyed sharing photos of the successful transplants.

During another trip to Knoxville, Sharon dug up several rhizomes from her garden and told me that those plants had been originally in the garden on the property of our great grandmother, Mammy Baker.  I returned to Merry Mount, thinned out our iris patch, and added the heirloom irises. Now, annually, Sharon and I share photos of our beauties.

An orange beauty presently located at Sharon's garden

Also from Sharon's garden

We also have plants from our dear friend, Laurie Krcmaric, who was one of the first persons to pull weeds at Merry Mount.  Often when Laurie visits us, she has freshly dug plants from her amazing garden that has included iris rhizomes.

During the autumn of 2019, I planted several new rhizomes given to me by Rett. Although our chickens scratched along the courtyard fence where they are planted, this yellow beauty survived: 

 Now every May, as we enjoy the beauty of the irises, we can also respect the handiwork of the loved ones who came before us.

 CPW

P.S.  Serendipity: while writing this blog post, my friend Robert Ward sent me a message about a beautiful white iris (pictured below) that he brought to Columbus from his former residence in Oklahoma.  Robert shared with me that his neighbor, Ed Glover, a WWII veteran who survived the first wave at Normandy Beach, had given the rhizome to him. For Robert, the bloom is a memorial symbol.

A white beauty from the Ward Garden