Irises are among the most popular garden perennials, and the wild irises—commonly called Blue Flag—are no less beautiful; even a touch more elegant, to my way of thinking, with their clean lines and lack of over-bred frills and beards.

There is some debate whether it was the iris or the lily that was stylized to create the fleur-de-lis, the symbol of the French monarchy for over six hundred years. Stories favor the iris, while lis is French for lily. However, former French colony Quebec has named Blue Flag as their floral emblem, and Louisiana—also originally a French colony—has adopted the wild Louisiana Iris as their state wildflower. And both include the fleur-de-lis among their symbols, so I’d favor the iris.

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