A pot of purple gold at the endofthe rainbow
This week I’ve found a fascinating feathery flower that will brighten up any garden and it has ties to the perfume industry.
The fabulous early blooming dwarf iris is one of those plants that makes a superb addition to almost all garden schemes. Some will flower even as early as January.
I would find it hard to believe that anyone could resist buying these gorgeous flowers in the garden centre. They are delightfully purple and feathery at a time of the year when there is very little colour to be had.
I love seeing them planted en masse and producing large swathes of colour in the garden. The shade of this variety is easy to team with virtually everything that is out at the moment. It’s perfect mixed with the tiny purple, white and yellow goblet-like blooms of the crocus and looks lovely with a few pink, ruffled primroses scattered throughout.
Boasting over 200 colour varieties, it is no wonder that the iris takes its name from the Greek word for rainbow. The yellows of the flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) are instantly recognisable in our marshlands and the blues of the tall and elegant Iris sibirica, as well as the incredible showy bearded varieties, demonstrate that there is a shade and variety suitable for every garden all year round.
The Iris ‘Edward’ Reticulata is one dwarf variety that is subtle and pretty. It has elegantly shaped sword-like leaves that look particularly rewarding in an earlyflowering scheme. I love how the deep purple of the flowers is offset by the striking orange and white accents at the edge of the trifold petals. You can just imagine being a bee and seeing that delightfully bright landing strip to guide you to the nectar!
Native to Turkey and the Caucasus Mountains these pretty flowers grow to about 10-15cm only with the lovely leaves rising higher even than the petals. It is a wonderful plant for a container which makes it a welcome addition to balconies and smaller gardens.
I have planted them into a gorgeous green-speckled planter and put some moss around the bare earth around them, making them feel almost a part of the planter, as though they have always grown there.
The iris has a rich history and like many flowers has its roots in Greek mythology. The Greek goddess iris was thought to be the link between the Gods and earth and was the personification of the magical rainbow.
In ancient Greece, purple irises were planted on women’s graves so that the goddess would accompany them on their journey to heaven.
Interestingly, some iris varieties have long been used to make perfumes as well as alcoholic beverages such as gin. Bombay Sapphire for example contains ‘orris root’ taken from the rhizomes of the Iris germanica and the Iris pallida to give flavour and colour to the drink.
When it comes to perfumes, aged iris rhizomes are steamdistilled to create an ‘orris oil’ which is said to create a scent similar to that of violets.
Many perfumes available now contain iris absolute – you’ll find it in scents from Chanel and Prada to Serge Lutens. The production of iris oil is pretty complicated and uses rhizomes of flowers that have already grown for at least three years before harvesting. This makes it an expensive oil to produce – it takes an incredible 40,000 tons of rhizomes to make just 1kg of iris absolute.
But back to our dwarf variety. It likes a moist but well-drained soil in partial to full sun. The only thing that may present a problem is slugs. The best idea is to drop a few copper coins into the planter where they grow as slugs don’t like copper.
Plant source: Homeland, Sligo. homeland.ie