It’s Called Earl of Essex…

…and I’ve had it for nearly thirty years. It’s a reliable re-bloomer and pops up in places where I don’t remember planting it, and I greet it like an old friend. Breaking news: I went to an iris garden in a nearby community and ended up buying two more bulbs, the brightest and gaudiest I could find. I’m stunned to find that a little piece of plant costs upwards of ten dollars. At those prices I’ve given away, or, alas, sometimes thrown away, a small fortune. My delight comes from seeing them in my friends’ gardens, from scattering colors here and there all over town.