Iris germanica Confiserie - Bearded Iris

The 'Confiserie' Iris is an interesting variety of garden iris for its floriferousness, compact habit, and uniform lavender-purple colour, very vibrant. Its medium-sized but exquisite corollas are numerous, succeeding each other on perfectly balanced, relatively short floral stems for at least three weeks. It is a well-coloured variety that easily blends with many tones in the garden. Gorgeous alongside pale pink flowers!

The 'Confiserie' Iris is a rhizomatous perennial plant that develops in spring in elegantly upright clumps, with its foliage disappearing in winter. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of many cultivars obtained over the centuries, with debate about their disputed origins revolving around the number of chromosomes of potential ancestors. It should be noted that Bearded Irises have European origins. They are plants that thrive in alkaline soils and require ample sunlight, with their rhizomes needing to 'bake' in summer to be able to flower. A minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day is generally required.

The 'Confiserie' Iris typically reaches a height of 75 cm (30in) when in bloom, with an average of 9 to 10 buds per stem. The clump spreads indefinitely over time, with the central rhizomes becoming bare as the outer rhizomes take over. The foliage consists of long and wide sword-shaped leaves, slightly glaucous green, with parallel veins. In April floral stems appear, giving rise to numerous flowers that are well distributed along the stems in mid-May, blooming from the top down towards the lower branches. The purplish colour of this plant, as is always the case with Bearded Irises, is enhanced by the thick and iridescent texture of the upright standard petals and trailing sepals. The flower is adorned with beautiful orange beards at the base, positioned at the throat.

Obtained by Cayeux, 2017.

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. Slopes, the base of small trees with light foliage, and terraced edges can 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 flattened by wind and rain.

The vegetable garden can be adorned with a few clumps or borders of irises, as the classic place for growing cut flowers.