Iris germanica Stellata

The 'Stellata' Iris is an old, not very tall variety of Garden Iris, now being brought back into the spotlight for its vigour and the vibrancy and brightness of its small yellow and violet flowers, so different from the enormous frilly corollas of modern varieties. 'Stellata' possesses all the charm of the old diploid iris that brings so much charm to old gardens: it is a prolific and undemanding plant with many bicolour flowers in spring.

The 'Stellata' Iris is a rhizomatous perennial plant that has elegantly upright tufts in spring with its foliage disappearing in winter. It belongs to the Iris family and is one of the many cultivars around for centuries, with its controversial origin being discussed around the number of chromosomes of potential ancestors. It is worth noting that Garden Iris have European origins. They are plants that thrive in chalky soil 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.

'Stellata' will reach a height of between 45 and 60 cm (18 and 24in) when in bloom. Each stem bears numerous buds. The tuft will theoretically spread without a limit over time, with the central rhizomes thinning out in favour of the outer rhizomes. The foliage consists of long and wide sword-shaped leaves, a slightly glaucous green colour with parallel veins. The base of the foliage is purple. Thin and sturdy flowering stems appear in April, with small, simple flowers in May (between the 5th and the 20th of May depending on the year) opening from the top to the lower branches. The petals are straw yellow, the sepals are white streaked with violet-purple and have a thin pale yellow border. The beards are wide and a fairly bright yellow.

Uncertain origin - Would be identical to 'Loreley' (Goos & Koenemann, around 1909)

To accompany the irises, plants should be chosen based on similar needs (exposure, soil...), their vegetation (low-growing plants or light foliage), and their decorative complementarity (appearance, flowering date). For example, Gaura will provide little shade to the irises and will keep the non-flowering iris bed attractive throughout the summer. Eschscholzia will be happy with dry soil in summer, just like the iris. Geraniums, sage, and Libertia also go very well with irises. Slopes and terraced edges can be stabilized by dense planting of old diploid varieties that can remain in place and require little care. If the goal is more decorative and access for care is possible, more modern varieties can be chosen, such as intermediates that are less likely to be knocked down by wind and rain than the tall ones.

You can adorn the vegetable garden with a few clumps or borders of irises grown for cut flowers.