Hello my friends,
hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend!
Did you know that when I hear the word flags that not only do I think of our beloved red, white, and blue American flag,
but I also think of a beloved flower often used to decorate the graves of loved ones on Memorial Day.
My sweet mother often referred to her Iris as flags. I never really knew why, but just assumed it was because she used them to decorate for Memorial Day.
Wrong!
So why do some people refer to Iris as flags?
So why do some people refer to Iris as flags?
Best Answer: Only German Iris are referred to as "Flag Iris." It's because they have four petals up and four down. The French Fleur de lei is based on them.
Dutch Iris are called "Dutch" and Japanese Iris are called "Japanese" and so on.
Dutch Iris are called "Dutch" and Japanese Iris are called "Japanese" and so on.
I found that to be very interesting. I wonder if my dear Mother even knew this about her beloved Iris?
So when Memorial Day approaches, whether you are talking about this flag,
or
this flag,
Either way, she's a grand ol' flag.
this flag,
Either way, she's a grand ol' flag.
I love them both!
And I bet you can guess what flowers I decorated my family graves with. Yup, flags!
hugs,
Jann
22 comments
Jann,
What a beautiful post!! Love all your beautiful blooms and flags!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Hugs.
Deb
Such beauty in one post. I loved the flags and flowers. Nice combination.
Dear Jann, you really hit a soft spot with me about flags and flags. My mother and grandmother's all planted flags mostly in the lavender and yellow. When I was young I thought how lucky we were to have orchids in our yard. lol They always bring back memories of trips to American Fork, and Provo Cemeteries I always thought it was an honor to put a bouquet of flags and then a small flag upon the graves of passed loved ones. It's good for the soul to honor them. Thank you for the beautiful reminder. xx Jo
I was just commenting to Dan about how my Mom always referred to Iris as Flags. They bloom around here around Memorial Day and mine are just starting. Great post!
We grew up calling them "Flags:, too. Very interesting post.
Have a lovely week.
Connie :)
What an interesting post, my dearest Jann .. actually German Iris are flowering just in this period .. that's so curious !
Hope you and your family had a lovely Memorial Day I'm sending blessings on the remainder of your week,
sending my dearest love to you
Dany
My Grandmother always called them flags also. I had kind of forgot about that. Thanks for jogging my memory.
Judy
Neat info I never knew before! And I just love the red,white and blue star wall hanging! Awesome!
Oh I just love this post. I can't ever get enough of our old FLAG for sure! I love, love, love that you spoke about the (flags) My grandmother planted yellow flags. CRAZY how this has brought back a little memory for me today! Happy Tuesday Jann. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
I love iris but never knew they could be referred to as "flags." Thanks for the information!
Beautiful flags and blooms, each one of your fabulous photographs is just amazing! Great post!
I'm so very fond of the iris -- it reminds me of my aunt Iris, who loved them as much as I do. These are simply gorgeous. I wish our cemetery would let us plant perennials.
Lovely post. Didn't know that about irises.
I never thought of the Iris as being the symbol of a flag, Jann! That was an interesting fact!
Interesting info about the irises and Fleur delis.
How interesting, I had never heard that before-the Fleur de Lis--yes, but not decorating the graves with them. Lovely post, and I love all your flags! Sandi
Jann, I do recall my mother calling iris flags, but I'd totally forgotten that. She was German, so perhaps that explains it. I like seeing all your red, white, and blue and the stars and flags in your home. Patriotic things touch my heart.
Beautiful flowers! Such wonderful color :)
As for the flag - Being a patriotic myself, I admire your patriotism :)
I had no clue! I just call all of them iris...aside from the smaller variety. Very interesting! :)
Very interesting! Love all of your flags. The wood flag on the wall is fabulous!
thanks for this interesting and informative post. lovely flowers and quilts.
My grandmother also called her flowers Flags. I never knew why she called them that, but thanks to you, now I do. Such beautiful flowers. I just planted some in my new yard and I hope they mature to be as beautiful as yours.
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