This photo was taken in my own garden in May this year. It features beautiful Iris 'Jane Philips', alliums (purple) and oriental poppies (purple).
I am fascinated by their development early in their season and am eagerly awaiting the emergence of the flowering spikes. They don't all pop up at once, so usually there is a nice succession of young spikes, spikes with a dark blue bud and spikes with a full open flower.
I adore this variety of bearded iris for a variety of reasons: the colour is a mid blue which mixes well with white and purple. The leaves are structural, so even when the flowers have gone over, there is still interest. The flowers are fragrant and make good cut flowers.
This iris is early flowering, May to June, and quickly establishes clumps. These will require division every three years or so, and in fact, mine have to be divided next summer. They flowers may need staking if your site is windy. The need sun and will not thrive if planted in semi shade. They also have to be planted with the rhizome only half buried as the rhizomes need a jolly good baking in the summer.
Otherwise bearded iris is trouble free; despite some effort with staking and occasional division, the joy they give when in flower handsomely compensates for this.
Have you succumbed to the charms of bearded irises yet?
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