They bloom!

The irises are blooming! This astounds me. Two weeks ago, they looked like this, and were totally stemless and budless.




In the last week, they sent up shoots, budded, and bloomed. (I love how the bud structure for each plant looks identical.)



They were looking spectacular on the deck railing, but had to be moved to the table after I woke up this morning and found that they'd launched themselves to the ground. I'm guessing that there was wind and they were just top-heavy enough? Somehow they survived the fall without any apparent injury, but I don't want them to have to go through another one.



From afar, they're striking (especially for their height), but up close, they're spectacular.



(Kevin left his camera at home... When the cat's away, the mice play with the amazing digital XLRS-or-something. :-) fun.)



The best part is that only about a third of the blooms have flowered, so this should be a fun week. I am so, so glad that they decided to bloom before we left for the wedding. To miss this would have been a disappointment.