Iris But Darling - Bearded iris

The 'But Darling' Iris is a bearded iris that amazes with its huge, very wavy bicoloured flowers. Its thick flower displays pastel petals blending tones of beige and pinkish apricot with a violet-pink base, dominating sumptuous, sensual sepals of rich purple-red, widely edged with lavender pink. The plant is spectacular when in bloom, between late May and June.

The 'But Darling' Bearded Iris is a rhizomatous perennial plant that develops in elegantly upright clumps from spring, with its foliage disappearing in winter. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained over centuries, with a controversial origin debated around the number of chromosomes of potential ancestors. It should be noted that Bearded Irises have European origins. They thrive in calcareous soils and require plenty of sunlight, with their rhizomes needing to 'cook' in summer to be able to bloom. A minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day is generally required.

The 'But Darling' iris will reach a height of 1.15m when in bloom, making it a tall variety, sensitive to wind. The clump will spread without a theoretical limit over time, with the central rhizomes thinning out in favour of the outer rhizomes. The foliage consists of long and wide sword-shaped, slightly glaucous green leaves, traversed by parallel veins. This variety blooms between the middle and end of the iris season, with well-branched floral stems, each carrying 2-3 branches and up to 7-10 flower buds. In April-May, the floral stems appear, which will give enormous flowers in May-June, all wavy, blooming from the top down. Each flower is composed of 3 upright petals and 3 wide and velvety sepals with frizzy edges. The dark purple-red beards blend with the colour of the sepals. The colour of this plant is, as always with Garden Irises, enhanced by the iridescent and velvety texture of the floral parts. The flowers have a light fragrance.

Bred by Schreiner (USA), 2016

Parents: 'Lip Service' and 'Dawn to Dusk'.

Awards: Honorable Mention in 2018, Award of Merit in 2021, Winner of first place at the Moscow International Rhizomatous Iris Competition in 2018.

To accompany irises, choose plants based on their needs (exposure, soil...), their vegetation that "respects" irises (low-growing plants or light foliage), their decorative appearance and flowering date. For example, Gauras will provide little shade to irises and will keep the iris bed attractive throughout the summer. California Poppies and love-in-a-mist will thrive in the same dry soil conditions as irises. Bushy salvias and Libertias also pair well with irises. Slopes and terraced edges will be stabilised by dense plantings of old diploid varieties that require little care.

The vegetable garden can be embellished with a few clumps or borders of irises for cut flowers.