Peak Bloom Time: The low-growing reticulated iris is the earliest to flower for us. Usually during the last three weeks of March. The Goodman Iris beds will be unrestrained rows of blooms the last three weeks of May. Another show-stopper are the Japanese iris cultivars growing in Seiwa-En The Japanese Garden. They peak in early June.
Elegant. Striking. Effusive. The Missouri Botanical Garden’s hybrid irises are show-stopping, while the native irises are secretive and aloof. Members of the Iridaceae family, irises are found throughout the northern hemisphere. While the species differ in habit and flower form, or how the petals relate to each other, once you know how to spot an iris you can easily point out any of the 50 species on display throughout the Garden grounds.
The Garden displays over 1400 iris specimens, perennials that come from underground rhizomes. The unifying feature of the Iridaceae is the flower that comes in 6 segments: the upper three petals called standards and the lower three sepals called falls. This pattern is easily distinguishable in the familiar tall bearded iris, but can be found in all of the iris species that the Garden cultivates, including several that are native to North America.
Our largest collection is of hybrid irises. These irises originate from several species and have been bred for color, form, size, and flowering time. Perhaps the most recognizable, tall bearded irises stand like soldiers in their green dress uniforms, erect and formal, seemingly unaware that they are topped with overly large and colorful caps. These pompous plants produce a dramatic field of view when planted in groups, such as can be seen in the Goodman Iris Garden throughout May. The colors available are uncountable: from shades of blues and purples to whites, yellows, pinks ('Beverly Sills'), peaches, oranges, reds, browns, near black ('Hello Darkness' and ‘Midnight Purple’), and even two-colored ('Undercurrent'). The latest ‘phenom’ available are the remontant, or re-blooming,bearded irises, including the white 'St. Petersburg,' the yellow 'Buckwheat,' the pink'Jennifer Rebecca,' and the cream and violet 'Happy New Year.' Early bloomers in the Iris Garden include Iris pallida, the Dalmatian iris, which yields a pale lavender bouquet. Following that, the Siberian iris blooms through late May and early June. The flower profile of the Siberian iris reveals that common three-fold symmetry of the Iridiceae family yet its shape is distinct from the bearded irises. An example of a Siberian iris is 'Caesar's Brother,' a Plant of Merit that produces a regal bloom of purple the third and fourth weeks of May. While many Siberian irises are a shade of blue, compare the two-toned 'Butter and Sugar' (yellow falls and white standards) with 'Fourfold White' (yellow only at base of the falls).
In the nearby Samuels Bulb Garden, the low-growing reticulated iris, I. reticulata, can be found blooming during the last three weeks of March. 'Harmony' has pale blue standards with yellow-crested, royal blue falls. Compare ‘Harmony’ with another two-toned blue, 'Margarita,’ in the Heckman Rock Garden.
Our native irises should not to be overlooked. In both the Kemper Missouri Native Shade Garden and the Children’s Garden, Iris cristata, the dwarf crested iris, thrills in April with frilly, pale blue flowers touched with white. Following that display, I. fulva dazzles with copper-colored flowers on a 2-3 foot plant. The copper iris can also be found in the Goodman Iris Garden.
In June, the zigzag iris, I. brevicaulis, blooms blue, with contrasting yellow crests, close to the ground, and can be found in the Dry Stream Bed, the Kemper Missouri Native Shade Garden, and the Woodland Garden.
The Canadian native artic iris, I. setosa, thrives in the cold. It has pale to dark purple flowers that are close to the ground, and is planted in the Rock Garden.
Specimens of the harlequin or northern blueflag, I. versicolor, often are a vibrant blue with white and yellow radiating from the petal bases. Found in the Woodland Garden, the late May blooms of I. versicolor can range from white through pink to a wide variety of purples and blues. Also present in a variety of colors, albeit with more yellow, is the southern blue flag, I. virginica, which can be found in the Children’s Garden, the Kemper Rock Garden, the Japanese and Boxwood Gardens, and the Goodman Iris Garden. Two other native irises can be found in the iris beds, namely the vibrant purple I. missouriensis and the slender blue flag, I. prismatica, noted for the narrow base of its petals.
There are several iris that will bloom in late May in the Woodland Garden, including the bearded yellow flag, I. pseudacorus, the stinking iris, I. foetidissima, named after the scent of its crushed leaves, not its airy, pale lilac flowers, and the water iris, I. ensata. Water irises of blue, lavender, pink, and white can also be found along the water’s edge in the Chinese, Japanese, and Boxwood Gardens.
The Shoenberg Temperate House nurtures several iris species that are native to the warmer regions of the U.S., including the Marin Iris, I. douglasiana, and the Dixie Iris, I. hexagona, both producing purple blossoms tinged with yellow.
Scout out these stalwart Iridaceae the next time you venture into the Missouri Botanical Garden. |
