Iris Trade Secret

The Tall Bearded Iris 'Trade Secret' is a large, mysterious and alluring garden iris with an exceptionally long flowering period. Its beautiful, wavy and well-formed flowers have soft chartreuse yellow petals, infused with lavender towards the base, on equally chartreuse yellow sepals, darkened towards the heart around mandarin beards. The flowers emit a sweet, sugary fragrance. This unusual variety has won multiple awards. It is ideal for borders or slopes.

Iris 'Trade Secret' is a rhizomatous and deciduous perennial plant, with an upright tuft from spring. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained over centuries, with a controversial origin debated around the number of chromosomes of potential ancestors. It is worth noting that Bearded Irises have European origins. 'Trade Secret' will reach 90 cm (35in) high when in bloom, with numerous buds, ensuring a long flowering period, and the tuft will spread indefinitely over time, with the central rhizomes becoming bare in favour of the outer rhizomes. Iris 'Trade Secret' forms an elegant upright, dense tuft. The foliage consists of long sword-shaped, glaucous green, highly veined leaves. Floral stems appear in April and produce tightly packed flowers in May, opening from the top down. The truly fascinating colour is enhanced by the texture of the petals and sepals. It is worth noting that the flowers are also fragrant.

Bred by Keppel in 2003.

To accompany the irises, choose plants based on their needs (exposure, soil...), their vegetation (low-growing or light-foliaged plants), their decorative appearance and flowering time. For example, Gaura plants will cast little shade on the irises and will keep the faded iris bed attractive throughout the summer. Eschscholzia plants will be satisfied with dry and poor soil, just like the irises. Geraniums, salvias, and Libertia plants also go well with irises. Slopes and edges of terraces can be stabilised by a 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, one can choose more modern varieties, such as intermediates, which are less likely to be toppled than tall varieties.

You can plant tall irises at the base of a wall in relative shelter from the wind. Of course, they can be planted in the foreground of shorter and earlier varieties.

Border: the entire range can be used, from early dwarfs under 40 cm (16in), to tall irises over 75 cm (30in) that bloom in May, including intermediate varieties (in terms of size and earliness) and border irises, which are medium-sized but bloom with the tall ones. Tall irises exposed to the wind may need staking to prevent them from being flattened.

Mass planting: the domain of irises...border irises but also dwarfs, depending on the circumstances.

Mixed border: the entire range of sizes can be used, depending on the space (foreground, background) and the size of the surrounding plants.

Iris bed, iris garden: the paradise of the iris lover, where the choice and arrangement of varieties (shape, colour, fragrance...) reflect each individual's taste. The use of the full range of bearded irises allows for two and a half months of flowers in spring. The choice of reblooming irises offers a few additional flowers in late summer or autumn.

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