by Tovah Martin

Ever notice those blue blossoms pop from a distance? Especially in spring, when you are woefully weary of wall-to-wall white, you really pick up on blue flowers as you speed by on the street. So, when the Colorblends Spring Garden pops with Iris Harmony, traffic slows to do a double-take. Okay…there’s also a stop sign close by. But we figure it’s really due to the blues.

No wonder people gawk. Iris Harmony happens early in spring. Right alongside snowdrops, the first sprigs out of the ground are these itty-bitty iris. They only stand a few inches from the soil line when the buds begin to swell. They swing into action in just a few days. And suddenly you’ve got that brilliant hue reminiscent of cornflowers, sailors, summer skies, delphiniums and all your favorite true-blue things.

Not only does the Spring Garden demonstrate the value of blue in a prominent well-traveled place, it also shares another lesson. As we all know, spring is accented by periodic sprinkles. Those famous spring showers are a common occurrence in Bridgeport and they probably rain on the parade at your home as well. The beauty of iris is they remain open despite rain, cloudiness, wind, and whatever else Mother Nature hands out. Iris Harmony is impervious. The parade goes on.

Another lesson: Harmony is perfectly named. At the Garden, this iris synchronizes with crocuses. All the blues and the striping in those flowers work together in—you guessed it—harmony. It’s a synchronized low carpet.

It’s a flower that fills the earliest days of spring with pizzazz, wades through your garden at the same height as its fellow early bulbs, and warms hearts with its shade of blue. Don’t be surprised if other lawns nearby start following your lead to make spring look sharp. Everybody will be envious.