Iris unguicularis, the winter-blooming Iris

One of my favorite winter-blooming plants has been unlucky for me. I keep losing Iris unguicularis to unrelated mishaps, one after another. I had nice big clumps of it one year, and some renters carefully, systematically, dug every last rhizome out of the ground, having decided it was a weed. Another year, the division I bought never took. I think the growers were too optimistic about how viable their miserly starts were. It's not the plant's fault; actually it's pretty tough, if unlucky.

It does have at least one fault: the blossoms are perched on nothing but the ends of their floral tubes, like Crocus, leaving the flowers too close to the ground, especially compared to the leaves. When it is blooming well, there are enough of them to stand out even with the overhanging foliage.

The blossoms vary in color; I have had, and prefer, varieties with saturated bluish-purple blossoms. Some varieties have washed-out blossoms, and I don't want those. Anything that blooms in winter had better have colorful blossoms if I am to notice them. To help attract attention, they happen to be quite fragrant. The main component of their fragrance is the elusive scent of ionine, the same chemical as found in sweet violets. A peculiarity of this fragrance is that human noses can only smell it for a few seconds at a time; then our smell receptors desensitize to it.

The plant is surprisingly hardy; it has been known to survive on Long Island (USDA z7). The blossoms, however, are fairly delicate as winter-bloomers go; it's more likely to bloom in USDA zones 8 and 9. Frost does ruin them, but the plant will keep making more buds, so you get bursts of flowers in each winter mild spell, and then a brilliant finale by late winter or early spring. It's one of the showiest winter-blooming plants you can grow in a climate like Seattle's or London's, with flowers that are prettier and more coloful than those of most winterbloomers.

The leaves are leathery and evergreen, making nice clumps of strappy foliage.

Last year I bought another one. It didn't grow much this year but it is a little better-established and seems to be viable now. Wish me luck!