Irises - James Parry

Named by the ancient Greeks after the messenger of the gods, the iris has fascinated man for thousands of years. Illustrations of the flower appear in a 1500BC fresco in the Palace of Minos at Knossos on Crete, and throughout history artists from Brueghal to Monet have depicted the elegant symmetry and extraordinary beauty of this flower. The iris has a special place in heraldry, most significantly as the source of the celebrated 'fleur-de-lys', a design created hundreds of years ago but still popular today. The iris has an important place in traditional medicine. It was used for treating a range of ailments from coughs to snake bite, and orris root - derived from the rhizomes of particular types of bearded iris - has long been prized for use in perfumes, cosmetics and as a flavouring in Chianti wine and types of liqueur. Meanwhile, the aesthetic appeal of the iris has secured its place in our gardens, where it is valued for its dramatic form and increasingly extravagant range of colours. Through images by leading flower photographers, this book celebrates the sensual beauty of some of the oldest and best-loved iris cultivars.;The structure, colouration and habit of over thirty individual cultivars are described in Irises, which serve as both a practical sourcebook for the gardener and an inspiration to all those who love the flower.