Iris germanica Synergy - Bearded Iris

The iris ‘Synergy’ is an intermediate bearded iris with a rare colour, multicoloured, combining shades of pinkish chamois, lilac-pink, purplish-pink and orange-red. Its subtly dotted flower overlays warm, slightly coppery tones. In the centre, bright orange beards set on a cream zone enhance the overall effect. This variety will fit into a spring border in soft, smoky or purplish tones.

From the Iridaceae family, the iris germanica 'Synergy' is an intermediate bearded iris: its flowering stem measures 60-64 cm tall and it blooms slightly earlier than the tall bearded iris. This mid-season variety blooms in May. The stems bear several buds that open one after another, from top to bottom. It is a perennial whose fleshy rootstocks, horizontal, lengthen and multiply at the periphery of the stump. The leaves, glaucous green, are arranged in a fan. They disappear more or less during winter depending on the climate. The flower of ‘Synergy’ features a plicata-luminata pattern. In irises, a plicata has a light background marked by a stronger colour in the form of a border, dots, streaks or edge. A luminata also has a light background, but the colour appears more as a veil, with a lighter zone around the beard and veins often paler than the rest of the flower. The term plicata-luminata therefore designates a flower that combines these two effects: a light background, coloured markings on the sepals, but also a lightened throat that gives a brighter appearance.
In ‘Synergy’, the three upright petals are pinkish chamois to light pinkish brown, with a centre slightly washed with rosy lilac. The three trailing sepals take up this chamois base, but with a more pronounced purplish-pink veil. Their edge lightens, while the shoulders show fine darker dots. The style arms are peachy chamois. The beards are orange-red to burnt tomato red, clearly visible on a cream zone at the throat. The flower is moderately undulate, colourful enough to stand out in a border, but less massive than a tall bearded iris. Remove faded flowers as they appear, then cut down the stem once the last bud has bloomed.

'Synergy’ is a creation of Keith Keppel, registered in 2003 and introduced in 2004. Its seedling number is 98-70E. It is the result of a cross-breeding between ‘Fancy Woman’ and ‘Brash’. This variety received an Honorable Mention from the American Iris Society in 2007.

You can plant this intermediate bearded iris ‘Synergy’ in a sunny border or on a slope. It pairs well with two border irises: ‘En Ébullition’, white veined with lavender, and ‘Bullwinkle’, yellow edged with burgundy. Add a 'black' touch with the tulip single late ‘Queen of the Night’, add a touch of orange-red with the tulip single late ‘Avignon’. All these plants bloom in May.