The Tennessee Iris

In the area of the farm that we call the cul de sac George has planted several irises.  The iris has several varieties and in the Tennessee area the purple cultivar is also the State flower.  The iris grows mostly in the northern hemisphere of Europe, Asia and North America.  The flower grows well in dry, semi desert or colder rocky mountainous areas.  The name comes the Greek word iris meaning rainbow and it was called that due to the variety of colors of the flower. There is an Iris festival held annually in Greeneville, TN.  There are two colors of irises in the cul de sac purple and a pale yellow.  They seem to be a hardy flower and last year blossomed twice which is unheard of.  They are a pretty sight on the farm.