Pure Black Magic

Day 227: "Black magic"...that's how I'd describe "Superstition," one of the blackest varieties of iris on the market. It holds its color well, although it can be quite variable depending on soil conditions as I discovered when I attempted to move one tuber to a less acidic bed. The following year, the flowers in that space emerged maroon-red and the ones in the original location were as black as ever. I wasn't sure at the time if disease or soil pH was the cause, so I decided to go with the simplest remedy and again transplanted the tubers to their present spot. Superstition resumed working its old black magic, much to my delight.