Iris tectorum (blue) Vines so an established plant in

so an established plant in full October bloom carries a layered

reliably evergreen at 5°F

The white spring racemes draw bees

often armed with slim axillary spines

is a graceful deciduous shrub from the mountains of the western Himalaya

Iris tectorum (blue) Vines so an established plant inThe horticulturist Scott Ogden, in Garden Bulbs for the South, sets the scene: the Japanese roof iris, Iris tectorum, is famous in the native country as a flower for planting on sod roofs, just as houseleeks are used on the cottage roofs of France. In gardens the silky green fans of leaves form large patches, a fine subject for the foreground of a shady border, and in April the ruffled, orchid like blooms appear among the handsome leaves. This is the