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Bearded Iris Rhizome Sale & Hands-on Lesson Offered
Iris Division Days in the King's Garden at Fort Ticonderoga are a great time to take home iris to add to your own perennial bed. As part of the "Hands-on Horticulture Program" the public is invited to learn about the division of iris rhizomes. Guests will be able to take a piece home along with planting instructions. Additional rhizomes will be available for purchase.
King's Garden staff will be offering division instruction and planting tips Monday through Friday for the three weeks of August 9th, 16th and 23rd from 12:30 to 3:30. The rhizome sale takes place during the entire period, including weekend days. The Garden is open 9:30 am to 5:00 pm daily and offers a number of educational tours and programs. The Fife & Drum Corps leads a daily procession of visitors from the Fort to the King's Garden, at 2:00pm. There is no additional charge for the garden and local residents are always welcome at no charge. Fort Ticonderoga is open daily from 9:30-5.
Bearded iris form one of the strongest presences in the King's Garden where many varieties bloom in late May and into early June. Iris takes its name from the Greek Goddess that escorted departed souls across a colorful bridge into the afterlife. The iris was adopted by Louis VII as his symbol in 1147 and is the basis of the fleur-de-lis often used as a symbol of France. It is also the emblem for the City of New Orleans. The rhizome of the iris has been used for millennia in beverages and the flower's delicate scent used in perfumes.