Reblooming Iris ‘Smell the Roses’

You have to take a look at this miniature beauty I found this week over at North Haven Gardens in Dallas. I'll pretty much make a bee line for anything blue or purple in the nursery, and this lovely caught my eye from across the perennial section. I mean, who expects to see a bearded Iris blooming in July...in Texas?? Not I said the fly...This tough yet stunning perennial is Iris 'Smell the Roses'. It's a miniature bearded Iris that re-blooms, so you get spring and fall blooms, or spring and sporadic blooming when weather is favorable. I can only assume that the lower than normal temps and extra rain fall made way for this specimen to go ahead and get it's bloom on.

Iris are one of the toughest drought tolerant perennials we can grow here in Texas, yet it still provides that showy delicate look one might expect from an English cottage garden. Best of both worlds! And yes, you can plant Iris in the middle of the summer here in Texas. Remember, any plants you see at your local garden center are ok to plant at the time they are stocked. And believe me, they will be much happier in the ground in summer than they are in a black nursery pot!

Now, I did you guys a favor and didn't snag this gem off the Iris table. So it might still be there for one of you lucky ducks. NHG had plenty of other unusual Iris varieties in stock so it's worth checking out.