Gift that became an obsession — Blue Flag Iris

Someone gave me Blue Flag Iris as a birthday gift and I barely knew what it was. Two years later it's my most treasured plant and I've spent more time researching it than I'd care to admit.

The key discovery was removing dying foliage in autumn before it rots and reduces water quality — once that clicked, the plant transformed. extraordinary flower forms rising above or floating on the water is what gets mentioned every time anyone visits. I keep it in a stream edge or bog garden which works perfectly. first leaf pads emerging at the water surface in spring is when I understand why this plant has such devoted followers. overrunning the pond surface in productive warm summers is the one ongoing challenge but it's worth the effort.