IRIS

Irises are some of the most beautiful and popular perennials in the world today. The genus takes its name from Iris of Greek mythology, who was the messenger to Juno, the goddess of marriage. Legend holds that Iris traveled over the rainbow to reach Earth, and from her footsteps sprang flowers arrayed in the colors of the rainbow. The iris has been revered since the sixth century, and it became an icon for nobility in the 1100s.