Iris sibirica Sparkling Rose

The 'Sparkling Rose' Siberian Iris offers graceful pink-purple flowers with blue reflections, veined with bronze and violet in May-June. This very striking plant forms a vigorous clump of vertical, bright green, slender leaves that remain beautiful for many months. A plant for wet and sunny banks, this iris adapts to well-worked ordinary soil as long as it is not too dry and requires little maintenance.

The 'Sparkling Rose' Siberian Iris is a rhizomatous and deciduous perennial plant that forms upright clumps starting from spring. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained from the Siberian Iris, native to Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Turkey but absent from Siberia, and from the Iris sanguinea found in China, Siberia, Japan, Manchuria, and Korea. This iris will reach a height of 80cm (32in), 1m (3ft) when in bloom, and the clump will spread over 50cm (20in). Its growth is moderate, slower than that of the German Iris. The 'Sparkling Rose' Siberian Iris has an elegant upright habit with dense clumps. The foliage consists of long, narrow, bright green leaves with prominent veins. In late spring and early summer, the flower stems project above the foliage, bearing 3 sepals and 3 petals that arrange themselves and succeed each other from the tip of the stem to the lower branches. They are delicately tinted with pink-purple, marked with blue in the throat, and veined with bronze and darker violet. This iris propagates through rhizomes.

The 'Sparkling Rose' Siberian Iris tolerates a moist location, such as on a bank near water, as long as it is not permanently submerged. It can also be grown in ordinary garden soil, with mulch and watering every 15 days in summer. It prefers an acidic to neutral (pH 4.5 to 8), rich, and well-drained soil. Clayey, chalky, or sandy soil can be improved by adding a good amount of humus (well-decomposed organic matter). Alkaline soil can be slightly acidified by adding ericaceous soil, pine needles, or sulfur. Siberian irises need a sunny location to flower, with at least 6 hours of daily sunlight. In the hottest regions, light shading during the hottest hours can be beneficial. It is best to plant during the dormant period, from late September to mid-April, outside the freezing weather. In warm climates, it should be planted in September. In regions with cold winters, on the other hand, planting should be done at the beginning of vegetation growth, in late March or April. (They will only flower the following year). Planting in August can be an alternative. Plant Siberian iris rhizomes at a depth of 3-5cm (1-2in). Siberian irises can remain in place without division for longer than bearded irises. They should only be divided every 5 to 10 years when the clump no longer flowers in the centre or forms a crown. Sufficient space should be provided for the clumps to develop. They can be fertilised with an NPK 10-10-10 fertiliser at the start of vegetation growth and after flowering in June. On young clumps, systematically remove faded flower stalks to prevent exhaustion. On well-established clumps, remove the stalks to prevent spontaneous seedlings that are not true to the parent plant.
After autumn frost, the yellowed foliage can be cut back to 3-5cm (1-2in) above the ground (and left in place as mulch). Alternatively, this dry foliage can be left during winter as an "architectural" element in the garden. It is then cut back only at the end of winter, in late February, before the new leaves emerge.

By a pond or stream, or simply in very moist soil, the 'Sparkling Rose' Siberian Iris is irreplaceable. It can also be used in any type of non-arid garden. Its grace is perfect for romantic gardens, English gardens, and other mixed borders. In wet soil, it can be associated with summer snowflakes, camassias, poet's daffodils, montbretias, crinums, daylilies, astilbes, delphiniums, columbines, corydalis, phlox, asters, herbaceous peonies, and lady's mantle.

The wild Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica L.) is an endangered and protected species that must be respected. Horticultural Siberian irises are hybrids of different species in the Sibiricae series (I. sanguinea, etc.). Their flowers are larger than those of wild forms and come in various colours. Several hundred named cultivars are registered.