Batik Iris
Irises are flowers in the genus Iris. They are named after the Greek goddess Iris [ed. So far this seems kind of circular] who traveled on rainbows which were also known as irises. Thus the familiar beautiful garden flowers are known by the Greek word for rainbow because they were available in a whole rainbow of colors.
Other People’s Beautiful German Irises
This is all deeply relevant because four years ago I bought a beautiful iris and planted it in my garden. It started as a little green sprout and then, through the subsequent years grew into a magnificent thicket of sword shaped bright waxy leaves—but it never bloomed. Time worked its indignant wiles on my memory and I forgot what exactly what variety I had bought.
“Freedom Song” Iris
This year, finally, a bud sprouted on the iris! I have been so excited to find out the color of the mytery iris. I scoured the internet trying to figure out what I had bought (the irises pictured above “Batik” and were some of my guesses). There was even a dark moment when I thought about how quixotic my aesthetics can be and I feared I had bought a huge brown hypnotic werewolf iris!
“Spiced Tiger” looks pretty much like a werewolf to me
But it turns out that the me of four years ago, made at least one good choice: here is the beautiful mystery iris as it appears now in my garden (along with my sphinx sculpture):
My Iris! The picture doesn’t do it justice at all. It is so lovely…
It is darkest violet edging into black with furry deep purple beards! I am pretty sure it is called “Night Ruler” which sounds like an evil cleric or a death knight! Yes! Sometimes my past choices come back to haunt me, but for once that guy did something really amazing and nice! I love this iris! Here is another picture of it which I drew.
Iris and Greek Sphinx (Wayne Ferrebee, 2015, colored pencil on paper)
“Night Ruler” has awakened my heart to a lust for irises—but any actions I take will require another four years to yield results and by then I will no doubt be living on a tropical beach in Greenland or fighting our robot overlords…or worse I will have again forgotten what I picked out and I will be forced to live beholden to the unfathomable whims of who I used to be.
“Night Ruler” photographed by a professional
ferrebeekeeper 
8 comments
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May 29, 2015 at 9:42 PM
quinn
That is a stunner! What a fabulous surprise for/from you!
May 30, 2015 at 4:02 PM
Wayne
It’s exactly the one I would choose! I was so happy!
May 30, 2015 at 7:57 AM
Mike
The squirrels are plotting. Little mini ladders and hacksaws will be used. You have been warned.
May 30, 2015 at 4:01 PM
Wayne
It has been a ceaseless, seething anxiety that such a terrible thing would occur. Every time I am in the garden I see them watching…planning…
May 30, 2015 at 3:48 PM
Gilly
I adore Irises also. Gorgeous mysterious colour. I had a long wait for my peonie which flowered for the first time after 10 years. Worth the wait though.
May 30, 2015 at 4:01 PM
Wayne
A decade! A decade! [clutches chest weakly]
May 31, 2015 at 1:44 AM
beatrix
How gorgeous!
Irises are one of my favorite flowers.
If you cut that bloom it will make a beautiful cut flower in a vase & you might even force a second bloom. (And thwart any nefarious plans of scheming squirrels.)
There’s a gorgeous Iris farm in Salem, OR called “Schreiner’s” near where my parents retired. I used to go there towards the end of summer & buy a trunk load of iris roots & bring them back to plant in my garden at my home in Sonoma.
June 2, 2015 at 3:20 PM
Wayne
It came and went so fast…maybe I should have heeded your cutting suggestion!
The good thing about irises is that they seem to be tough flowers that keep getting bigger. The one I want next is called “Star Trek”–maybe I can find a big hunk of rhizome for it somewhere. Your garden in Sonoma sounds amazing.