irises are in bloom!

A couple weeks ago I noticed two pretty large plants growing at the end of my driveway, in back of the rock wall.  At first I was thinking tulips (I don't know much about plants, obviously), but then they got really big and had big purplish buds on the ends.  What could these plants be?

Last weekend the husband and I went to the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum in Wethersfield.  It was a gorgeous weekend and we were bored.  Plus we've been living up here for almost a year and had yet to really go anywhere other than Home Depot, Lowes, and the diners.  Other than being bored and wanting something to do, we were both anxious to see the insides of the three historical houses that make up the Museum.  The houses were built in the 1700s, just like ours.  It was interesting to see so many of the details of my house echoed in these houses.  It gave me some decorating ideas, as well. The added incentive for Bob was that they were having a Revolutionary War battle reenactment on the grounds.   That was fun.  No one died until the end, - they all kept firing and missing - but it was explained that the weapons of that era weren't the most accurate.  In order to increase their chances of hitting targets, they fired in a tight cluster formation.  Afterwards we walked around the grounds and I saw the same plants that are in my yard, and they were in full bloom:  irises.

So, here are my irises in full bloom.  Sadly, I only have one pink iris.  But I love that I have a whole bunch of two-toned purple ones, since purple is my favorite color.