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Iris germanica Island Sun - Dwarf bearded Iris

Iris germanica Island Sun
Bearded Iris

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This Lilliput iris offers fresh, lemony, tangy flowers: on its flower, light lemon yellow petals dominate white sepals edged with pale yellow. The lavender beards bring a cool note to the heart of the flower. Not exceeding 30 cm in height, it naturally finds its place in rock gardens and borders. It flowers in April or May.
Height at maturity
28 cm
Spread at maturity
25 cm
Exposure
Sun
Hardiness
Hardy down to -15°C
Soil moisture
Dry soil, Moist soil
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Best planting time August to September
Recommended planting time February to March, July to October
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Flowering time April to May
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Description

Iris ‘Island Sun’ is a Lilliput garden iris with a zesty colour combination of light lemon yellow, white and lavender. Its flower has the radiance of a small yellow iris, but its white sepals adorned with lavender beards give it a very fresh appearance. It is a low-growing variety, suitable for dry, sunny rockeries and borders. Its flowering coincides with that of small spring bulbs in white and pale blue.

‘Island Sun’ is a standard dwarf bearded iris, commonly called a Lilliput iris. This category includes small irises whose height falls between miniature and intermediate irises. They flower early in the bearded iris season, before the large Iris germanica. Bearded irises develop from a partially buried fleshy rootstock. Their rootstock expands over time and forms a small clump of stiff, narrow, sword-shaped, glaucous green leaves. In ‘Island Sun’, the upright petals are a light lemon yellow, close to lime yellow. The horizontal sepals are white, with a lemon yellow throat, a yellow reverse and a fine pale yellow edge. The style arms, in the centre of the corolla, are white with a pale yellow vein and crests. The beards are lavender on the visible part, but yellow and white in the throat. The flowering offers a light sweet fragrance. It occurs mid-season for Lilliputs, in April or May depending on the climate.

‘Island Sun’ is an American introduction by Paul Black, registered in 2002 under the seedling number I293B and introduced in 2003 by Mid-America Garden. Its parentage combines two seedlings derived from ‘Shy Violet’, ‘Sigh’, ‘Spin Again’, ‘Jade Jewels’ and ‘Chanted’.

Around this iris ‘Island Sun’, you can plant a few small rockery plants that won't smother it. For example, bulbs of Muscari ‘Mount Hood’, blue with white caps, and Narcissus tazetta ‘Minnow’, cream with a small yellow trumpet. The Sisyrinchium ‘Lucerne’, blue-mauve with a yellow centre, and the Santolina ‘Lemon Fizz’, with lemon-green foliage, will enrich this little spring scene.

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Garden iris, bearded iris: planting, care
Family sheet
by Virginie T. 13 min.
Garden iris, bearded iris: planting, care
Read article

Flowering

Flower colour two-tone
Flowering time April to May
Inflorescence Cluster
Fragrance slightly scented

Foliage

Foliage persistence Semi-evergreen
Foliage colour medium green

Plant habit

Height at maturity 28 cm
Spread at maturity 25 cm
Growth rate normal

Botanical data

Genus

Iris

Species

germanica

Cultivar

Island Sun

Family

Iridaceae

Other common names

Bearded Iris

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference26094

Planting and care

The Iris ‘Island Sun’ can be planted from July to October as a rootstock, or in spring and autumn for potted young plants, outside frost periods. Plant it in full sun, in soil loosened to a depth of 20 cm, adding gravel if the soil retains water in winter. Place the rootstock almost on the surface, with roots spread out in the soil; its top must remain visible. Water well at planting, then only during dry periods in the first weeks. A light application of mature compost around the clump is sufficient in poor soil. Divide the clumps every three or four years, in summer, when flowering diminishes at the centre of the stump.

Planting period

Best planting time August to September
Recommended planting time February to March, July to October

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Rockery
Type of use Edge of border, Container, Slope
Hardiness Hardy down to -15°C (USDA zone 7b) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 10 per m2
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Neutral, Calcareous
Soil type Chalky (poor, alkaline and well-drained), Silty-loamy (rich and light), Stony (poor and well-drained)
Soil moisture Dry soil, Moist soil Well-drained soil

Care

Pruning instructions Cut the flowering stems at the end of flowering.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time May
Disease resistance Good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground

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