Iris germanica Magical Encounter - Tall Bearded Iris

'Magical Encounter' is a large garden iris that charms with its very assertive shrimp pink colour and its quite exceptional abundance. It is a fairly tall iris that stands out in sunny borders. Its flowering season is long for a large bearded iris: the first buds can open quite early in the season, then the flowers succeed each other on the ramified stems.

This iris reaches about 89 cm in height when in flower. A single stem can carry up to four branches and 7 to 14 flowers that open successively when the plant is established in good conditions. They are large, moderately undulate. The 3 upright petals and the 3 sepals are the same shrimp pink which can take on more salmon hues depending on the light. The beards, a bright salmon pink, stand out clearly at the heart of the corolla. This colour is long-lasting, it does not quickly turn beige or muddy pink over the days.

The Iris germanica grown in gardens are the result of a long process of selection from rhizomatous botanical species. Iris × germanica is a spontaneous hybrid between Iris pallida and Iris variegata, but modern varieties are much more complex. They have been selected for stem height, flower size, petal substance, undulation and richness of colours. They are planted in full sun, in well-drained soil, so that the rootstocks are not completely buried.

'Magical Encounter' was raised in the United States by Schreiner. It was registered in 1999 under the seedling number FF 944-A, then introduced the same year by Schreiner’s Iris Gardens. Its parentage is complex; it combines a Schreiner selection seedling with 'Dreamsicle', with cultivars such as 'Renaissance Fair', 'Amethyst Flame', 'Rippling Waters', 'Chantilly', 'Country Lilac', 'Far Corners' and 'Laurel Park' in its lineage. This variety received an Honorable Mention from the American Iris Society in 2002.

In a large sunny border, iris ‘Magical Encounter’ can be planted in alternation with other tall floriferous irises, in groups of 3 rootstocks spaced 40 cm apart. Its shrimp pink colour combines well with the blue of Iris ‘Honky Tonk Blues’ and the warm white of Iris ‘Lark Ascending’. At the back, hollyhocks such as Alcea rosea ‘Halo Blush’ and a lavatera like ‘Barnsley’ will take over in summer; plant them sufficiently far behind so as not to shade the irises.