Iris variegata

After a week away at a conference in the heat of the desert in Las Vegas, it’s nice to come home to late spring again, although, it is predicted to reach a very Vegas-like 92 degrees here Sunday. I am not one for fancy Iris, prefering simple species to the fancy German Bearded types, but this simple beauty is in the Germanica group and yet is exhibits a refined beauty that I find very pleasant in the early June garden.

A true species from hungary, Iris variegata is not variegated at all, at least the foliage isn’t as one may be lead to believe by it’s name. Instead, it is a Standard Dwarf Bearded (SDB) type with great potential in the border, if, again, you can find a source for it. The now closed Heronswood Nursery is where this clump arrived from four years ago. The yellw standards are brilliant, but the veined cream and blackberry falls are what makes this plant so striking, even from a distance. I love the brownish, muddy colors of the lost and vintage German Bearded Iris, and this species reminds me of them. Slightly fragrant, it does well, in this bed in front of the greenhouse.