the 1500 varieties of heaven

I had a delightful trip over to Exline Iris Gardens here in Berkeley Springs today. The Exline's farm consists of two gorgeous, colorful acres of bearded iris — and they're all in bloom right now.


The owner, Jim Exline, explained to me that he has been in this business for 38 years, and has about 1500 varieties of iris growing on his property. He sells these on his website, but I think it's much more satisfying to see them in person. The gentle, elusive scent of the flowers en masse is lovely.