From mid May to mid June there is something extraordinary going on in Denver Colorado.  There’s an Iris “Festival” at Iris 4 U Gardens.  I found this quite by accident.  It was one of those right side of the screen advertisements on one of my regular internet sites.  I don’t usually click on those, but the title was intriguing – something like Denver Iris something with a beautiful picture.  Well, I love to garden and we do have Grandma’s irises in our garden which bring us such joy every year when they bloom – so this little ad called to me.

So, it was one of these spontaneous day trips that we so love to take.  The very next day we took the short trip to Denver and buried in a very regular neighborhood is this amazing garden and it’s HUGE.  The entire garden is dedicated to bearded irises or as I call them  ruffled.  They’re in all sizes and colors and hybrids of all kinds. They stopped me dead in my tracks – OMG!!!  They are so beautiful!

I tried to figure out which colors are my favorites – a fun game at this place!  It will be different for every visitor, but I’m partial to the white/purple/lavender combos.  That’s not to say that the peach/butterscotch ones don’t bring a smile!  There’s something here for everyone who loves flowers to enjoy.

I noticed other photographers and a gentleman painting.  There are plenty of chairs and benches to sit and just enjoy the view.  There are folks around to answer your questions and even Iris Bob, the proprietor, walks the garden and visits with guests.  They offer a catalog as you enter so you can find the name of the iris that you would like to purchase when the time of the season is right for the transplanting.  There’s no store, no trinkets for purchase and no pushy sales.  This is a place to enjoy and if you should like to place an order there is a table with a couple of computers to do just that.  Hey – there’s even a rest room!!

We’ve lived in Colorado for nearly 14 years and this little gem was a surprise.  I love surprises like this!  And, I dare say that we’ll make sure we don’t miss it again next year.

You can find Iris 4 U Garden at 2700 West Amherst Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80236  303-789-4747