Black bearded irises bloom just in time for Halloween
Victorian flower farmer Caitie O'Grady has watched her black bearded irises bloom just in time for Halloween.
"When it comes out to bloom, it's usually near Halloween, which is really cool, and people are drawn to it because it's so unique."
Ms O'Grady said the bearded iris variety was called "black suited" but technically, it is not true black.
The "black suited" irises are actually deep purple. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
"There are no true blacks in terms of flowers, but they get very close, but this is the darkest I've seen," she said.
"It's near black, a very, very dark purple."
This is just one of the hundreds of varieties of bearded irises Ms O'Grady grows on her property, at Ebden, on the banks of Lake Hume in north-east Victoria.
Irises come in a broad spectrum of colours. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
She has been specialising in bearded irises since 2018.
"There are probably less than a dozen growers left in Australia now, and it's not a common flower grown throughout Australia."
Caitie O'Grady grows 800 varieties on her farm. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
After the flowers have bloomed, Ms O'Grady digs up the rhizomes and sell them across the country.
"They are extremely tough — we don't have town water so we had to choose a flower which is hardy.
"They can survive prolonged dry periods for months and they also love frosts."
The rhizome is sold on to other growers. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
Floriculture is on the rise in Victoria, and according to data from the state's department of agriculture, the sector's gross value is worth $1.2 billion.
Ms O'Grady said demand for her flowers was strong.
"We're supplying throughout Australia — we post the bare root rhizomes in March all the way up to Queensland."
Caitie O'Grady says the flowers remind her of French cancan dancers. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
Catching the 'iris virus'
The iris flower is named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris.
And there is no shortage of colour combinations.
Caitie O'Grady has always had a love for growing flowers. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
"We grow more than 800 different varieties of bearded iris, so there's certainly lots of colours," Ms O'Grady said.
The "beard" refers to the fuzzy, yellow stem that comes from the middle of the flower.
The "beard" is the yellow, fuzzy stem. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
"I would describe a bearded iris as looking like a French cancan dancer — the falls look like ruffled skirts.
Yellow and purple bearded irises. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)
"Once people have started with one or two they see their beauty and the iris virus takes over.
"But there are worse addictions out there, so if I can buy a few more flowers then that's OK."
The "black suited" iris blooms towards the end of October. (ABC Rural: Annie Brown)