Interview
In conversation: the iris grower
We spent a morning with Pietro Conti, whose family has grown Iris Pallida in the hills above Florence for four generations.
By Anne-Sophie Le Moal21 July 20258 min
Iris is the slowest material we work with. A bulb planted today will not be harvested for three years; the rhizomes, once dug, must rest a further three before they yield orris butter. Six years between intention and result.
On time
"I am not growing iris for myself. I am growing it for my granddaughter."
We asked Pietro whether the slowness ever felt frustrating. He laughed, and said the question only ever comes from people who have never planted anything.
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