Iris, Hedera, Jovibarba, Kniphofia - 1, Kniphofia - 2,
Large leaved perennials, Pelargonium x domesticum, Grasses, Primula, Seeds,
Sempervivum, Viola, Western Natives, Shrubs & Trees, Additional Plants
The shape of iris flowers are unique, and in recognition of this, special names have been given to the different parts of an iris flower. The term, falls, is used to name the petals that often droop, originally occuring as three on a flower, although hybridizers have increased the number to double or triple, six or nine. For the petals that are often upright, the term, standards, is used, which is some irises are small or less obvious. A third term, styles, names a smaller part of the flower overtop the base of the falls, that may have either a similar color as the rest of the flower, or its own unique coloring. Not all irises have styles, but typically siberian irises have them, for one example. A fourth term, signals, is for the small blaze of usually golden color that may be at the base of the falls. Beards are the bushy cluster of stamens at the base of the falls on bearded irises, Iris germanica. The beards can be a contrasting color to the rest of a flower. If this is all too confusing, the photos give you the overall impression, and the details and terminology are less important.
I. cristata (very light, lavender flowers)In spring the flowers appear singly on short stems, in a light lilac-blue with yellow and white central markings. It is a charming dwarf that likes well-drained ground that is not too dry. The leaves grow from thin, branching rhizomes on the surface of the soil.
I. cristata alba (white flowers)Pristine white with a small amount of yellow are her colors. Dwarf at three to four inches, this would be a nice either as an edging plant, for a rock garden or in a pot.
I. douglasiana (bluish flowers)Native to southern Oregon and northern California, this plant survives well without summer watering. A plant will grow into a slowly expanding clump of foot-long and one-inch wide leaves that are evergreen. The bluish-purple flowers open in late spring on stems about eight inches in height. The base of the falls are colored in white and yellow. Grows well with sun or partial shade.
I. douglasiana alba (white flowers)Identical to the bluish form of douglasiana with the exception of its mostly white flowers. The is a light touch of gold to the base of the falls. It fowers for only a week or so. The leaves are evergreen and attractive at all seasons, being a rich dark, lustrous green
I. douglasiana minima (violet flowers)The evergreen leaves are thin and about three inches long. The height of the flowers is two to three inches. Flowers are a medium violet. The base of the falls are colored in cream and yellow, with violet veins.
I. douglasiana 'Amelia Bloomer' The petals are not wide, although they are a very nice shade of medium to light blue. Flower season is late spring, the month of May here. The leaves are attractive and evergreen, a foot long. The length of the flower stems is six inches. The leaves do not greatly block the view of the flowers.
I. ensata 'Agrippine'Six falls (petals) of soft lavender on large flowers in early summer.
I. ensata 'Caprician Butterfly'With rich purple veining on the white falls, the amount of veining is equal to the amount of white. The center of the flower is darker. Six falls (petals) indicate this is a double flower, since a single flower has three falls.
I. ensata 'Exuberant Chanty'A rich mid violet-blue is the color. This has an extended season of flowering as a flower stem will produce additional buds, and also a plant will send up flower stalks later in the season, after the primary Japanese iris season has passed.
I. ensata 'Light at Dawn'The flower is mostly a light creamy white. The edge of the petals is rimmed with light violet and a light blush of violet brushes over the falls. Ruffly and delicate looking, with six falls.
I. ensata 'Norma'Norma has six falls of light to medium pink. She grows very strongly. Flowering season is June into July.
I. ensata 'Pink Frost'The flowers are more of a violet than a true pink, with three falls (petals).
I. ensata 'Rose Queen'This is a light pink version of the wild Japanese iris. Its form is simple but elegant. Shorter than others at two feet.
I. ensata 'Southern Son'Medium to dark purplish-blue with a gold signal is the flower. And it has six falls. It often reblooms to extend the season into late summer.
I. germanica 'Clarence'The falls are a ruffly, medium blue and the standards (the upright petals) are a very pale lavender. Often reblooms in early autumn. Fragrant. The season is May, as with other tall, bearded irises. 'Clarence' will likely rebloom at the end of summer with more flowers.
I. germanica 'Jennifer Rebecca'Jennifer Rebecca' is a light, pale pink. She is fragrant and may rebloom at summer's end.
I. germanica 'Orange Harvest'Light to medium orange with darker beards. Fragrant.
I. germanica 'Sultry Mood'A medium-dark reddish purple with ruffling makes this a show. The fragrance is strong. The flowers show in May.
I. pallida 'Aureo-variegata' (yellowish variegation)The flowers are a medium to light lavender, that bloom in May. The leaves are heavily striped in a green and light, creamy yellow. The leaves are their most colorful in spring and early summer. At other times of the year the foliage can be tatty, with spotting and dieback. This change in the foliage is seasonal. They need as much sunlight as possible, and do best with digging them up every three years and discarding of the older parts of the roots that you will see at the center of a plant.
I. pallida 'Variegata' (whitish variegation)The color of the leaves is the only difference between this and I. pallida 'Aureo-variegata.' This has pristinely white stripes in the green leaves.
I. germanica 'Bedford Lilac' (short)The bearded irises on this page are all very short. They flower well before the taller bearded irises. The season for the short ones is April. Tall, bearded irises flower a couple of weeks later, in May. 'Bedford Lilac' has very light, solid blue flowers. Height is eight inches.
I. germanica 'Chanted' (short)A color of tannish-pink or smokey-pink describes this flower. The beards of its flowers are lavender blue. Height is eight inches.
I. germanica 'Coral Carpet' (short)Very short at four to six inches, the flowers are creamy coral with reddish beards.
I. germanica 'Ditto' (short)The standards are creamy. The falls are a dark reddish-purple ringed in cream. The height is about four inches.
I. germanica 'Grapelet' (short)Very round grape violet that may well rebloom. Height is four to five inches.
I. germanica 'Ruby Eruption' (short)Wine red falls that have a center that is a cream and light yellow stippled in wine red. Height is eight to nine inches.
I. germanica 'Self Evident' (short)Creamy standards, the falls are cream with a large bluish spot. Height is four inches.
I. germanica 'Sleepy Time' (short)A solid pastel blue is this flower on stems of four or five inches.
I. germanica 'Sparkletts' (short)The flower is all white with the exception of the tangerine beards. Height is five inches.
I. foetidissimaFlowers are subdued in their colors, the colors being a yellowish-green and lilac that are heavily veined. More colorful are the orange-red seeds that come later in the year and are highly attractive from November through January. The seedheads split open to display the orange-red seeds. The stems of seeds are excellent for winter floral decorations. The leaves grow from one to two feet in length. The height of the flower stems is just over a foot. This plant needs more shade than most irises.
I. foetidissima 'Citrina' (yellowish flowers)This is identical to the straight species with the exception that the flowers are mostly a light yellow, and easier to see in a shady garden.
I. foetidissima 'Variegata'This is not as prolific with its flowers and seeds as the straight species. The colorful leaves of green with creamy white stripes makes up for the lack of flowers. This plant is evergreen and does enjoy light shade more than strong sunlight. Its height will be one to two feet, closer to one foot on younger plants and up to two feet on older, crowded plants.
I. gramineaThis is the plum-scented iris. Apparently the light fragrance reminded someone of cooking plums. The scent is nice if light. You must place you nose close to the flower to appreciate it. But it is there. The flowers are small, blooming in spring in colors of bluish-purple, reddish-purple and cream. The height is eight inches. This is another of those irises that prefers light shade to full sun.
I. japonica 'Variegata'Pale blue flowers, several to a stem open in spring. They are fringed and there are spots of orange and yellow dotted at the base of the falls. They are an inch to an inch and a half across and have something of an exotic look to them, a bit orchid-like. Plants will spread moderately by thin rhizomes. The leaves are equally streaked in green and cream. Plants are at their limit of cold hardiness here. And they prefer partial shade to full sun.
I. 'Pacific Coast Irises'Being very drought tolerant these need no irrigation after their first season in your garden. They also grow well in average garden conditions. Give them sun to part shade. They are very long lived and undemanding. Height is close to eight inches. Flower season is mid May.
I. setosa canadensis (nana)Flowering in April with medium lavender-blue flowers between one and two inches in size on plants that are six to eight inches tall. The flowers are nicely small, in scale to the low plant. Undemanding but would like a little more than average moisture in the soil.
I. setosa 'Blue Light'Late spring flowers in a medium blue open in late spring on stems of two feet.
I. sibirica 'Dance Ballerina Dance'Ruffled lavender-pink in May to early June. The height is two feet. This is a Siberian iris as are the next few irises. Siberian irises are tough and vigorous growers. In flower they have a delicate beauty. Of all the irises from which you have to choose, this is the best if you are looking for the one that needs the least amount of attention. Old clumps of Siberians that are twenty or thirty years old will still be flowering well, as long as they are not shaded out by taller plants. However they do appreciate regular watering, fertilizing and dividing, if you want the greatest amount of flowers.
I. sibirica 'Ego'Richly blue in a ruffly flower. Large flowers on stems of two feet. Uncommonly encountered.
I. sibirica 'Flight of Butterflies'On stems of two to two and a half feet, the flowers of this plant will be smaller. The detailing of the flowers are cream overlaid with light blue veins. Older plants will have many small butterflies of flowers open together.
I. sibirica 'Little Sister'Growing to a low height of 10 to 12 inches, blossoms of 'Little Sister' are a mixture of light and medium blue, with white. Clumps will grow wider with time. We have a five-year old clump that is a couple of feet across.
I. sibirica 'Sultan's Ruby'The falls are a very rich purplish red with a cream at the base. The standards are a lighter purplish red.
I. sibirica 'White Empress'Here is an older variety with creamy white falls and standards. There is yellow at the center of the flowers.
I. sibirica 'Windwood Spring'Large blazes of cream at the bases of the falls are surrounded by sky blue. The falls are held out horizontally. The height is two to two and a half feet.
I. unguicularis marginataA medium lavender-blue surrounds gold and white markings at the base of the petals. The flowers are three inches across. This is a valuable winter-flowering perennial. Leaves grow to twelve inches and the flower-stems are shorter at eight inches. If you wanted, the evergreen leaves could be cut to the ground at the beginning of winter to better see the flowers, although they show well enough without doing this. To get the greatest numbers of flowers, let the plants grow older and wider rather than dividing them every few years as is recommended for some other irises.
I. unguicularis 'Mary Barnard'A very dark purple is 'Mary Barnard' The petals are not as wide as other varieties of this winter-blooming plant. Flowers freely after her first couple of years in a new location.
I. unguicularis 'Walter Butt'Pale, pinkish lavender with wide petals is 'Walter Butt.' You will read that these winter-flowering irises need dry ground and lots of warmth. In my experience this is not necessary. Our climate here on the coast is very cool and these irises do well. The ground where they are placed is not dry, but instead is well-nourished and moist. What seems essential is having enough patience to allow them two or three years to grow thickly enough, before expecting them to flower much. For the first few years after planting the winter irises you may doubt that they can flower for many months. They can, and they will for you, in their own sweet time.
I. lazica (winter blooming iris)Medium lavender with white and yellow at the base of the falls are its colors. The flowers surprise by blooming in winter, not in any one big show all at once, but rather scattered, a few at a time, over many weeks or months from fall into early spring. It is similar in color to Iris unguicularis marginata.
