Adding Variety

My typical pattern for buying iris is to get very excited when the catalogs start arriving in the winter and after weeks of deliberation I turn in my order and wait for July when iris are shipped. I must confess that I typically order 'selfs' which are iris that the standards (vertical petals) and the falls (horizontal petals) are the same or nearly the same color. I don't know why. I order my iris from Schreiner's Iris and they have a program where they will send you bonus iris if you order enough from them. This gorgeous iris is 'Expose' and was one of my bonuses last year. I never would have picked it out of the catalog but I love it and I am so glad that the wonderful people at Schreiner's decided I needed some variety in my collection of iris! The good news is that this year I am showing restraint and waiting until after the main iris bloom in my garden this year to put in my order so that I will have a good feel for what will add more variety. Data and not emotion will rule my choices this year! (Note: I am getting the one on the cover of the catalog this year though, 'Fame and Glory'! My DH thinks it looks like a puppy!)