Iris ensata Harlequinesque - Japanese Water Iris

Iris ensata Harlequinesque is a wonderful selection of Japanese water iris, with large, highly undulated flowers, white, beautifully striated and edged with shades of mauve and bright violet-blue. The whole is accentuated by a bright yellow throat. This variety also has the ability to rebloom during the season, if the conditions are met. Unlike our garden irises, this rhizomatous perennial is comfortable in non-limestone and waterlogged soils in summer. Beautifully planted en masse in wet areas and on water edges, Iris ensata were formerly extensively cultivated in Japan, especially around Edo (the ancestor of Tokyo),for cut flowers. 

Iris ensata (also known as kaempferi), hanashōbu in Japanese, better known as Japanese water iris, bear no resemblance to our classic garden irises, except for their belonging to the Iridaceae family. The original Iris ensata is a fibrous rhizome plant native to Asia, specifically to the wetlands of Japan, the Himalayas and Siberia. These irises, known to be difficult to grow, love acidic and peaty soils (cannot tolerate excess limestone), are thirsty for water during their growth and flowering period, but appreciate slightly less humid soils in winter: in nature, they are found above the water level which often drops in winter, then rises in spring with the melting of snow. 

The 'Harlequinesque' cultivar forms an erect, bushy clump, reaching about 80cm (32in) in height when flowering and 50cm (20in) in width. This iris slowly spreads on the ground through its rhizomes, becoming more beautiful year after year. The abundant, deciduous foliage is a vibrant green, composed of long, slender, ribbon-like leaves, sheathing at the base, marked by a prominent central vein. The reblooming flowering period takes place between July and August-September depending on the climate. Flower stalks emerge from the clumps of leaves. Each stalk bears 2 to 3 large flowers with a diameter of 15cm (6in). Each flower is composed of 6 large, flat, horizontal sepals, topped with 3 much smaller and finer petals. Sepals and petals have a velvety and satiny texture. Their base colour is a bright white, randomly veined, striated, and edged with violet shades.

Often cultivated on the banks of ponds and basins, the Iris ensata, like many marsh plants, can tolerate having their "feet" in water during summer, but their rhizomes do not tolerate being submerged during winter, especially if it is freezing. In our gardens, these Japanese irises will thrive in a loamy soil, lightened with compost and peat, but not drying out in summer. For example, plant them in a heavy soil forming a slight depression, at the bottom of a slope, or on a bank where the soil becomes moistened through capillarity. Combine Iris ensata 'Harlequinesque' with Anemone rivularis, Darmera peltata, Lobelia 'Queen Victoria', Astilbes, Lysimachias and Ligularias for example.