I forgot to add some comments about the colors of the flower of the Iris stolonifera now in bloom. As the flower opened yesterday morning, two thoughts came to mind immediately. One, does anyone remember the wondrously beautiful old Breeder tulip Louis XIV? It has something of the same color combination. It was hugely popular between the two World Wars, and still survived in commerce in my youth. I have a color slide of plants I grew long ago. For another, are any of you Poirot fans? I'm referring to the PBS (the TV version) series of adaptations of Agatha Christie mysteries which ran during the late eighties and nineties in which David Suchet played the part of Hercule Poirot. There is one episode, The Case of the Missing Will (made in 1993), in which one of the characters wears a dress in these same colors. The story is set in the mid 1930s, and if the dress dates from the same period, I can't help wonder if the colors were not inspired by the tulip - or maybe the iris. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where Davidia involucrata is in full bloom. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/