I finally got to Trails End Iris Gardens this year. This is a private garden that hybridizes and sells irises. They are located just east of Brantford, not far from Whistling Gardens.
This is a peak season for irises, especially the bearded ones, as we see in the picture below. There are almost 300 species of iris. I am curious what is in the Iris family now, as the Missouri Botanical Garden has carried out DNA analysis to determine each family. They seem to be renovating their databases, so I didn't get to see its listings for family and genus.
Trails End is interested in the rhizome irises. These are the irises in city and country gardens that we're all familiar with. Recent hybridizations have brought about larger flowers, rebloomers, beautiful colours, frillier flowers, etc.
The majority of Irises are found in Europe and Asia. Our native Iris is Versicolour. It is named named Sword Lily. In Christianity, this association of the sword means that the iris represents Our Lady of Sorrows. Gladiolus is also known as Sword Lily. It is those blade-like leaves again.
Perhaps on the Christianity theme, I went first thing Sunday morning. I was able to visit their substantial 10 acre property with only 2 other people there. This was the case at Whistling Gardens as well. Darren says that Sunday mornings are extremely quiet and Sunday afternoons are their busiest time in the entire week. I actually think it is everyone having brunch - and by this coming weekend it will be brunch on the restaurant patio. And won't some of us look better, too - hair salons can reopen in parts of the province. Sadly, not in Niagara.
Next on the iris trail is to see Royal Botanical Gardens Iris collection - it opened its outdoor gardens this past weekend.
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