iris norrisii, (seed from SIGNA seed exchange) iris domestica, (seed from SIGNA seed exchange) For most gardeners, iris ensata is the last iris to bloom in July. In our garden, the first iris to bloom is iris reticulata which will often bloom the first week of March. Other than a few days, there has been an iris in bloom every day since early March this year. What I found last year was that iris domestica doesn't even start blooming until August. This year, not only is iris domestica blooming, but there's also iris norrisii blooming. iris norrisii, (seed from SIGNA seed exchange) Iris norrisii is a wonderful addition to the late summer garden. The flowers are orchid-like in their behavior. What is remarkable is that the blooms open late in the morning, and remain open only for one day. The following day, the petals twist on themselves like a rubberband. Some of these plants might have dozens of blooms per stalk which means over a week of flower...
