How I Learned About the Iris Plant
I first became familiar with the iris plant when my husband and I moved to Fort Worth, Texas. Being a native Californian, I told my Texas landscaper what plants I wanted in my new garden. He politely reminded me that I was in Texas now and I needed to plant Texas tough plants. One of the flowers that he suggested was the bearded iris. He informed me this perennial plant was drought tolerant, it thrives with six or more hours of sun, and could handle extreme cold and heat – hence Texas tough. He said the iris grows from a rhizome which is a long, horizontal, stem that looks like an enlarged bulb-like root. It serves as a special organ for storing food and that the leaves rise directly from the rhizome. The landscaper said the plants with rhizomes will give the best flowers if they are replanted every four years. Other than that, the iris was a fairly low maintenance plant.