There are many species of Iris, some are bulbous
others have rhizomes. All have colourful flowers in every colour imaginable, ranging
from white to almost black, from pink to red to purple to lilac to blue, but
also yellows and oranges. It is therefore very fitting that this genus of
plants was named after the personification of the rainbow, Iris, messenger of the gods. There are some
300 wild species within the genus Iris, and many, many hybrids have been
recorded as these plants are universally seen as beautiful and symbolic.
Iris siberica, grows throughout eastern and central
Europe into Asia, so not merely in Siberia as the name suggests. These plants
are grown in temperate regions as ornamentals. In the wild the colour can vary
from violet via dark blue to a pale almost white icy blue. They grow best on
slightly moist meadows.
The bearded irises are a section of iris with -as the
name suggests- a tufted hairy section on each fall. These examples are all
hybrids known as Iris x germanica. This German iris is not a true wild species
but a long cultivated descendent of several wild species. The large blooms come
in every colour, but I prefer the blues. These plants like dry stony soil and
lots of sunlight.
The variety in Iris is immense. On the left the lovely
Iris laevigata 'Variegata'. This Water iris comes from Japan and will even grow
in shallow water. The pale blue flowers of Iris x hollandica, commonly known as
Dutch iris, are again beardless. These hybrids arose from crossing Iris xiphium
(Spanish iris) with Iris tingitana (Tangiers iris). These plant require free
draining growing conditions. Iris graminea grows from rhizomes and has violet
blue flowers amongst the grasslike leaves. It is native north of the
Mediterranean Sea into the Caucasus.
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