Iris x hollandica Silvery Beauty

The Iris (x) hollandica 'Silvery Beauty' is a Dutch iris that stands out for its subtle and fresh colour. This bulbous iris produces delicately bicoloured flowers in pale silver-blue and bluish-white, illuminated by small golden yellow spots, for 2 to 3 weeks in late spring. Refined and colourful, the stylized flowers of Dutch irises stand out for their elegance in the garden and also in bouquets. These hardy bulbs are easy to grow in full sun, in fertile and well-drained soil.

Dutch irises, or bulbous irises, have an underground storage organ in the form of a bulb, unlike their famous cousins, garden irises (Iris germanica), which have rhizomes. Belonging to the same botanical family as garden irises, the iridaceae family, they also differ by the absence of "beards," those pretty little fluffy and colourful tongues found on the drooping sepals of garden irises. The first Dutch irises (x) were never found growing wild in Dutch soil, but were the result of cross-breeding between two main botanical species: Iris filifolia, sometimes confused with Iris xyphium which resembles it, both originating from Spain and North Africa, and Iris tingitana, from Tangier and northern Morocco. The genealogy of Dutch hybrids can sometimes be confusing, but the result is always remarkable. Their flowers, somewhat underused in the garden, are highly appreciated in floristry.

The 'Silvery Beauty' Dutch iris forms an upright and very narrow clump of 55 cm (22in) in flower over time. This perennial extends indefinitely through the production of bulblets. This cultivar blooms in late spring, usually in May-June (earlier in the south), for 2 to 3 weeks, on slender but wind-resistant stems. Its solitary or paired flowers on the stems are 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter, relatively thin compared to garden irises, but undeniably elegant. They are intensely and uniformly blue. Each flower consists of 3 upright, translucent, slender petals of small size. Below this trio, there are 3 almost horizontal petals, closely linked to the petaloid styles with toothed edges, arranged in a quincunx pattern. They are wider, spatulate, with darker veins, illuminated by a golden yellow spot surrounded by a more or less wide white margin. Each flower can last 5 to 7 days, even in a vase. The bulb is round, 2 to 3 cm (1in) wide, covered with a fibrous tunic of a pinkish beige colour. It produces a few linear, thin, leathery leaves, somewhat resembling those of a grass, with a slightly glaucous green colour, often lightly striped and folded in half towards the ground. They often appear in autumn, persist to a greater or lesser extent depending on the severity of the winter, and dry up in summer during the dormant period.

Less known and less used by gardeners than garden irises, Dutch irises are nevertheless easy to grow in fertile and light soil, with undeniable elegance and indifferent to wild grasses that struggle to infiltrate their very vertical clumps. Plant them in groups of 10 to 20 bulbs of the same variety; they will come back year after year to offer you more and more refined and joyful flowers, which blend well with the spring flowering of shrubs. They also look stunning when planted among perennials such as peonies and daylilies, which will cover their absence in summer when they are dormant. Their Mediterranean origins give them excellent adaptation to summer drought. Finally, pick their flowers to create bouquets with roses, arums, lilies, or even late tulips. All irises need a sunny exposure to flower well. Offer them at least half a day of full sun per day.