Inside The New York Botanical Garden
iris
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on June 16 2012, by Matt Newman
Sometimes I’ll come across something that looks like a sorbet, a baked tart, or a platter of colorful petit fours, knowing full well that nature usually does a better job of making things look “good enough to eat” than the local confectioner. Not that the poison control hotline would humor me if I acted on all of these novel compulsions, but, hey, it’s just a thought.
Iris ensata ‘Gusto’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Gardens and Collections, Monet's Garden on June 7 2012, by Matt Newman
The fleur-de-lis may predate the French monarchy, but it’s forever the nation of the Seine that we associate it with, and in turn the iris that inspired the symbol. It’s timely, then, that the irises are blooming now for Monet’s Garden, just as they are across the Atlantic in the artist’s garden at Giverny, settled in the north of France. Walking through our own display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, you’ll come upon several breeds of royal purple flower poking proudly from between the delphiniums, poppies, and furry mullein stalks. But outside, the iris is a constant spring resident!
In ancient Greece, Iris was considered the goddess of the rainbow, a messenger between divinity and humanity who carried the word of the pantheon to Earth. Her flowers do their best to make their namesake proud in at least that first regard, sprouting up along borders and plots throughout the Garden in every shade of purple, blue, pink, and often white or yellow. (True red remains the sought after grail of the iris connoisseur, a color that no amount of hybridizing has been able to produce reliably.) Not the full range of the rainbow, but pretty close, to be sure.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on April 23 2012, by Matt Newman
Was Caitlin a coy Mona Lisa, or more of a Marilyn Monroe? Maybe a Tina Fey.
Iris typhifolia ‘Caitlin’s Smile’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
