Iris Profond Soupir - Tall Bearded Iris

Iris 'Profond Soupir' is a spectacular garden iris with large and perfectly uniform flowers. They are huge, slightly undulate, thick-textured, and well-held, a powerful violet adorned with thick yellow-orange beards with light lavender tips. It will make a big impact in borders, especially when combined with orange varieties or pink varieties.

Iris 'Profond Soupir' is a rhizomatous perennial plant that develops in deciduous clumps from spring. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained over centuries, with a controversial origin being debated around the number of chromosomes of potential ancestors. It is known that Garden Irises have European origins. They are plants that thrive in limestone soils and require plenty of sunlight, with their rhizomes needing to 'bake' in summer to be able to flower. A minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day is generally required.

'Profund Soupir' will reach a height of 85 cm (34in) when in bloom, with numerous buds per stem. The clump will spread indefinitely over time, with the centre rhizomes becoming bare in favour of the outer rhizomes. The foliage consists of long and wide sword-shaped, slightly glaucous green leaves with parallel veins. Floral stems appear in April, producing large and slightly wavy flowers in May, blooming from the top to the lower branches. They consist of 3 upright petals dominating 3 horizontal sepals, all of the same vibrant and intense violet colour. The beards are yellow-orange at the base, but lavender at the tips. The colour of this plant is magnified by the thick and iridescent texture of the floral parts.

Breeding by Cayeux, 2022 ('Paul Black' x 'Rippling River').

To accompany irises, choose plants based on their needs (exposure, soil...), growth (low plants or light foliage, non-competitive plants), decorative appearance and flowering time. For example, Gauras will provide little shade to the irises and will keep the faded iris bed attractive throughout summer. California Poppies and Love-in-a-Mist will thrive in the same dry soil conditions as irises. Perennial geraniums, salvias, and Libertia also accompany irises very well. Slopes, the base of small trees with light foliage, and terraced edges can be stabilised by dense planting of old varieties that require little care. If the goal is more decorative and access for maintenance is possible, modern varieties can be chosen, such as intermediates that are less prone to being flattened by wind and rain.

The vegetable garden can be embellished with a few clumps or borders of irises for cutting.