Iris germanica Comes The Dawn - Bearded Iris

Iris germanica 'Comes The Dawn' is a very beautiful Iris with soft apricot flowers and a mandarin beard, a sweet and rather rare variant of orange, truly bright and very useful in the garden to accompany shades of powdery pink, coral or salmon, but also white and sky blue. The excellent branching and height of the stems, the shape of the wavy floral parts, as well as their thick and iridescent texture, make this variety a first-rate achievement that will create a sensation in flower beds. 

'Comes The Dawn' Iris is a rhizomatous perennial plant that grows in elegant clumps starting in spring, with its foliage disappearing in winter. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained over the centuries, whose controversial origins revolve around the number of chromosomes of potential ancestors. It should be noted that Garden Irises have European origins. They are plants that thrive in alkaline soils and require plenty of sunlight, with their rhizomes needing to "bake" in summer in order to flower. A minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day is generally required.

'Comes The Dawn' will reach a height of 1m (3ft) when in bloom, with numerous buds per stem. The clump will spread indefinitely over time, with the central rhizomes thinning out in favour of the outer ones. The foliage consists of long and wide sword-shaped leaves, a slightly glaucous green colour, with parallel veins running through them. In April floral stems appear, which will produce large and strongly undulated flowers in June, opening from the top first, down to the lower branches. They consist of 3 upright petals, pale yellow-orange infused with pastel salmon at the base of the central vein, dominating 3 almost horizontal sepals of the same soft apricot colour, with a lighter area around the orange beard. The colour of this plant is, as always with Garden Irises, magnified by the thick and iridescent texture of the floral parts. 

Breeding by Blyth, 2009.

To accompany your irises, choose plants based on their similar needs (sunlight, soil), a growth habit that is "respectful" of irises (i.e. non-competitive plants which are shorter, have light foliage), and how they complement each other visually (appearance, flowering period). For example, Gauras won't create shade, and will keep the bed attractive all summer after your irises have finished flowering. California Poppies and Love-in-a-Mist will tolerate dry soil in summer, just like irises. Perennial geraniums, salvias, and Libertias also accompany irises very well. The earth around the base of small trees with light foliage, and on slopes and terraced edges, will be stabilised by dense planting of old varieties that can remain in place and require little care. If the goal is more decorative and access for maintenance is possible, one can choose more modern varieties, e.g. intermediate ones that are less likely than tall ones to be literally flattened by wind and rain.

The vegetable garden can also be adorned with a few clumps or borders of irises, since it is a place dedicated to the cultivation of cut flowers.