Iris siberica

Plant of the month: January

 

Rock Garden Pool and Grass Garden


Iris siberica –
this plant is in the Iridaceae family and can be found around the Rock Garden Pool and in the Grass Garden

Iris siberica is a beardless iris which means its lowest petal (the fall) is smooth. The rhizomes from which the plant grows lie just below the soil surface as opposed to Bearded Iris whose rhizomes sit on the soil to ensure a good baking in the sun to get them to flower.

This iris has narrow grass like foliage up to 45cm in length. In early summer its branched flowering stem bears up to 5 flowers about 7cm across, the flowers are blue violet in colour, with the fall having deeper blue veins. On all Irises the lower petal has markings that attract insects to pollinate them. Iris siberica is a parent of many hybrids which range in colour from all shades of blue to white, yellow and deep red.