The most common types of Iris are the Bearded and the Siberian, with a few Japanese Iris thrown in for variety. Variations of purple and blue are the most common colors (along with yellows), and breeders are still striving for that elusive pure red color, but it's been impossible to produce so far.

Irises prefer light, well-drained soil, and will rot quickly if overwatered. Plant in a sunny location with plenty of air circulation so moisture doesn't stand around the plants.

The rhizomes of the bearded Iris are the source of Orris Root, which is used extensively in perfumery. The roots must be hung and dried for five years, and after drying, the scent is like violets. (Iris flowers smell nothing like violets.) One ton of orris root produces 2 kilograms of essential oil when dried, ground, and fixed. Needless to say, that makes perfume containing iris root extremely expensive.

Orris root is also used in many popular brands of gin to add a perfume note and a slight color (think Bombay Sapphire gin).

If you've got a hankering for North African or Middle Eastern foods, orris root is one of the ingredients in the spice blend "ras el hanout," which also typically contains cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, paprika, coriander, cumin, mace, nutmeg, pepper, and turmeric. Ras el hanout sometimes contains a little dash of ground Lytta vesicatoria, a pretty emerald green beetle.

Yellow irises are planted around water treatment ponds and help filter the water by consuming nutrients.