Iris germanica Bistro - Bearded Iris

The Iris ‘Bistro’ is an intermediate bearded iris that flowers in a palette of warm tones, ranging from golden yellow, mahogany brown and mustard orange. Its medium stature places it between dwarf and tall bearded irises: it is highly visible in a border among the surrounding perennials, and its undulate flowers exude a pronounced sweet fragrance. This plant is well suited to beds without watering, slopes and scree gardens.

This variety belongs to the Iridaceae family. Cultivated garden irises, called Iris germanica, result from an ancient natural cross-breeding between two European irises, Iris pallida and Iris variegata. The bearded iris is a rhizomatous perennial: its fleshy rootstocks lie flush with the soil, store reserves and produce new leaves each year arranged in a fan. They can partly persist through winter, depending on the climate.

'Bistro' is a selection by Joseph Gatty, registered in 1998 by Keith Keppel and introduced in 1999. It originates from the cross between 'Quote' and a seedling from Keith Keppel. This variety received in 2003 an Honorable Mention from the American Iris Society, a distinction awarded by judges to irises noted for their good performance in cultivation. The plant forms an upright clump that expands by producing short rootstocks. It is formed of flat, broad, thick leaves, glaucous green to medium green. The flower stalks carry buds that open successively from top to bottom. Each flower displays three erect, strongly undulate inner petals and three broader, trailing sepals. The erect petals are golden yellow, like the style arms – those small floral parts visible at the centre of the flower. The sepals show a yellow background broadly covered with warm brown, with nuances of mahogany and henna towards the centre. A fine yellow edge outlines their contour. The beard is mustard, orange, with more tawny tones in the throat. The petals are beautifully undulate.

Plant this iris in full sun, in a border, rock garden or at the top of a slope. Allow the rootstocks to be flush with the soil and ensure they receive sunlight. You can associate this variety with Euphorbia characias ‘Black Pearl’, Nepeta ‘Kit Cat’, Salvia nemorosa ‘Schwellenburg’ and Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’. These perennials also like drained soil and sun; place groundcovers far enough away so as not to disturb the irises. The bed thus created remains decorative thanks to the grey or bluish foliage and summer blooms, without requiring much maintenance.

Our advice: divide the clumps in summer, every three to five years, when the centre flowers less or when the rootstocks become crowded.