Iris germanica Ma Mie - Bearded Iris

Iris germanica 'Ma Mie' is a large historical garden iris dating back to 1906, now celebrated for its vigour and the grace of its small, unfussy and beautifully coloured flowers, so different from the enormous frilly corollas of modern varieties. 'Ma Mie' possesses all the charm of old-fashioned diploid irises that bring so much charm to old gardens. It is a prolific and undemanding plant that bears an abundance of small and elegant corollas, of the 'plicata' type, with a strongly veined border of medium violet-blue on a white background.

'Ma Mie' is a rhizomatous perennial plant that develops in spring into elegantly upright clumps, its foliage disappearing in winter. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained over the centuries, with a disputed origin discussed around the number of chromosomes of potential ancestors. It should be noted that garden irises have European origins. They thrive in calcareous 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.

'Ma Mie' will reach 90cm (35in) in height when in flower. Each stem carries more than 8 buds. The clump will spread without any theoretical limit over time, with the central rhizomes becoming bare in favour of the outer rhizomes. The foliage consists of long and wide sword-shaped leaves, of a slightly glaucous green, traversed by parallel veins. In April, floral stems appear, which will produce small, simply shaped flowers in May, opening from the top towards the lower branches. As always with garden irises, the colour of this plant is enhanced by the thick and iridescent texture of the upright petals and the drooping sepals. The beards are discreet, of a white-blue colour.

Cultivated by Ferdinand Cayeux, 1906.

To accompany the irises, plants should be chosen based on their needs (exposure, soil), their "respectful" growth towards irises (low-growing or light foliage plants), and their complementary style (appearance, flowering time). For example, gaura plants will provide little shade to the irises and will keep the deflowered iris bed attractive throughout the summer. Eschscholzia will be satisfied with a dry and poor soil, just like the irises. Geraniums, salvias, and libertia also accompany irises very well. Embankments and terraced edges will be stabilised by dense plantings of old diploid varieties that can stay in place and require little care. If you want a more decorative aspect, choose more modern varieties, such as intermediates that are less likely to be knocked over than the tall ones.

Against a wall: the relative shelter from the wind means you can plant tall irises. Shorter and earlier varieties can be planted in the foreground.

Border: the realm of early dwarf irises under 40cm (16in), up to intermediates (in size and earliness), and border irises, of medium size but flowering with the tall ones.

Border of a flower bed: the domain of... border irises, but also dwarfs, depending on the circumstances.

Mixed border: the entire range of sizes can be used, chosen according to the position (foreground, background) and the size of the surrounding plants.

Iris bed, the iris garden: the paradise of the iris lover where the choice of varieties (shape, colour, fragrance) reflects each person's taste. The use of the entire range of bearded irises results in two and a half months of flowers in spring. Choosing reblooming irises offers some additional flowers in late summer or autumn.

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