My favourite flower

I love irises, and I can’t tell you why, it is just an unconditional love of these elegant and characterful flowers. There are literally thousands of varieties and as many colours as there are in a rainbow – which is where the flower gets its name from, íριδα. Iris was the messenger of the Greek gods, and the personification of the rainbow; I like them so much that I had them in my wedding bouquet!

If you are fortunate enough to be able to visit the Temple of Amon at Karnak in Egypt, you will be able to see images of irises sculpted into the walls and columns at the behest of Tuthmosis III nearly 3,500 years ago. The iris then was a symbol of life, but there was a practical use of the flower and its rhizomes, also known as orris root, for medicine and perfume.

I found these beautiful specimens in the gardens of Roche Court in Wiltshire, but if I want to buy particularly wonderful varieties we are lucky enough to have one of the best places to get them, here in Somerset:

http://www.kelways.co.uk/category/irises/5/