Our spotlight flower for the month of April is the iris. This elegant and regal member of the Iridaceae family is related to the gladioli and crocus. A more distant relative is the common, garden-variety asparagus!

There are at least 200 different species of iris in the world, but only a few are popular garden plants. Most iris are native to temperate regions, but they are also found in deserts, swamps, and near the arctic! They appear in many different sizes, forms, and shapes, as well as a rainbow of colors. One thing they all have in common are their six large petals: the three upright inner petals are called 'standards' and the three downward sweeping outer petals are known as the 'falls'.

Two of the most commonly seen are the bearded iris and the Siberian iris. The much-loved bearded iris is even Tennessee's state flower; it was also the inspiration for the famous fleur-de-lis. Hummingbirds and butterflies are also fans of these fragrant flowers.

In Greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger for the other Olympian gods. Her father was a sea-god and her mother a cloud nymph, which might explain the rainbow link. Most rainbows along the Grecian coast seem to link the clouds with the sea.

The flower may have been named after her because of the rainbow-like variety of colors in which it's found. Irises can be blue, purple, pink, white, yellow, orange, red, brown, near-black, bicolors, and even tricolors. You can easily grow your own rainbow by planting nothing but irises in your garden!

Since Iris often carried messages of love, this lovely flower symbolizes eloquence in the language of flowers. The message can vary by the color of the iris. A white iris symbolizes purity while a yellow iris is considered passionate. A blue iris symbolizes hope and faith; a purple iris wisdom and compliments. And an iris of any color symbolizes cherished friendship.

The next time you send a friend flowers, why not include lovely, fragrant irises to show them how much you cherish their friendship? Contact us for help sending just the right message to someone you care about.