Iris hoogiana

Iris hoogiana is a perennial plant that comes from Turkestan. This species, intermediate between rhizomatous irises and bulbous irises, is renowned for its fragrant flowering in a lovely lavender blue and its ease of cultivation in well-drained soil. It is a wild iris adapted to cold winters (-15°C) and dry summers.

The Hoog Iris is a rhizomatous perennial plant of the iridaceae family that develops thanks to a rhizome often contracted into a bulbous shape. This rhizome produces numerous stolons that can reach considerable lengths. Native to the regions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, this plant was introduced to Europe by Mr. CG van Tubergen in 1913. This iris, dedicated to the Hoog brothers, is characterised by a uniform colouration of all parts of the flower, except for its well-developed golden yellow beards. From a botanical point of view, it is classified in the Iris Regelia section. This plant received an AGM from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1919.

The Hoog Iris has a graceful habit, forming a clump of long, slightly curved green leaves, from which emerge tall flowering stems reaching about 50 centimetres in height. The leaves measure between 35 and 45 cm in length and up to 2 cm in width. The short flowering occurs from April to May, in the form of blue flowers ranging from sky blue to lavender blue and purple-blue. Each flower has three large trailing sepals adorned with a yellow crest and three smaller upright petals. The beard, at the base of each sepal, is a contrasting orange or bright yellow. Each floral stem can bear 2 to 3 flowers at its top. The flower buds are wrapped in an herbaceous sheath tinged with purple at its tip. Its foliage is deciduous, growing in spring and disappearing in autumn.

The Hoog Iris is a versatile plant that easily fits into sunny spots in the garden, both in rockeries and border beds. It pairs well with its cousins, the bearded Iris, lavenders, Sedum spectabile 'Carl', Achillea millefolium 'Cassis', or pink-flowered bushy salvias.