Iris hollandica Blue Magic - Dutch Iris

The Iris (x) hollandica 'Blue Magic', planted in large groups, forms a sea of striking blue. This bulbous iris produces, in late spring, for 2 to 3 weeks, flowers of a cobalt blue, barely purplish, intense, illuminated by magnificent golden yellow spots surrounded by a white margin. Elegant, brightly coloured, the stylised flowers of the Dutch Iris stand out for their elegance in the garden, but also in bouquets. They are easy to grow in full sun, in fertile and well-drained soil.

The Dutch Iris, or bulbous iris, has an underground storage organ in the form of a bulb and not a rhizome like its famous cousins the Iris germanica, or Garden Iris. Belonging to the same botanical family as the latter, the iridaceae, they also differ from them by the absence of "beards", those pretty little fluffy and colourful tongues found on the drooping sepals of the germanica iris. The first iris (x) hollandica never grew in the wild on Dutch soil, but are the result of cross-breeding between 2 main botanical species: the Iris filifolia, sometimes confused with the Iris xyphium which resembles it, both native to Spain and North Africa, and the Iris tingitana, from Tangier and northern Morocco. The genealogy of Dutch hybrids is sometimes confusing, but the result is always remarkable. Their flowers, somewhat underused in the garden, are highly appreciated in floristry. 

The cultivar 'Blue Magic' forms an erect and very narrow clump, over time, of 50 cm (20in) when in bloom, this perennial extends without theoretical limit through the production of bulblets. This cultivar blooms in late spring, usually in May-June, for 2 to 3 weeks, on sturdy stems braving the wind. Its solitary or paired flowers on the stems, 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4in) in diameter, are relatively thin compared to those of the Iris germanica, but of undeniable elegance. They are of an intense and deep blue, very uniform. Each one is composed of 3 upright, slender, translucent petals of small size. Beneath this trio are displayed 3 almost horizontal petals, closely linked to the dentate petaloid styles on the edge, arranged in a quincunx pattern. Wider, they are spatulate, streaked with darker veins, illuminated by a beautiful 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 some linear, thin and leathery leaves, somewhat reminiscent of grass leaves, with a slightly glaucous green color, often slightly striated and folded in half towards the ground. They often appear in autumn, persist more or less depending on the severity of the winter, and dry up in summer, during the dormant period.

Less known and less used by gardeners than the Iris germanica, the Dutch Iris are nevertheless easy to grow in fertile and light soil, of unquestionable 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 even more elegant and joyful flowers, which go well with the spring flowering shrubs. They are also stunning when planted among perennials such as peonies and daylilies, which will hide their absence in summer when they are dormant. Their Mediterranean origins give them excellent adaptation to summer drought. Finally, pick their flowers to make bouquets with roses, arums, lilies or even late tulips. All irises need a sunny exposure to flower well. Give them at least half a day of full sun.