Hope

When we first moved to the farm, we brought fifty or sixty iris varieties with us.  We planted them in a beautiful 'wavy' shaped bed that would turn out to be its own undoing some years later.  But, the results we received in the second season were absolutely spectacular.  It may go down as one of our best gardening achievements.

For two people who love German Bearded Iris, this was a wonderful treat and we took the time to gather fresh bouquets and take walks to the garden to enjoy the fragrances and gorgeous color palette.

Then, our farm started to grow.  From a half acre of veggies to two acres to five acres....   When do you weed and care for the iris?   The answer was, we couldn't.

And they suffered for it.

We have since tried to move some our favorite iris from the "overgrown" area that was once this iris bed, but we didn't get them all.  And, most years, we still get a few blooms where they once commanded the entire area.  There are some stalwart varieties that show up most seasons.  But, there are many we are pretty sure are gone from our farm, never to return unless we can find that variety somewhere else and purchase it.

But, last year, we had a surprise.

This was one of the first varieties we picked up... twenty-some years ago.  And there it was, after a difficult Spring for us at the farm.  A single stalk.  Gently bobbing in the breeze.