Iris sibirica Spindazzle - Siberian iris

Iris sibirica 'Spindazzle' is a mid-season Siberian iris with wavy, velvety, dark pink flowers marked with a blue‑violet halo around a nearly hidden golden flame. They bloom in May–June, on a very upright clump of leaves that remains attractive for many months. Appreciated for their graceful flowers and sculptural foliage, Siberian irises are vigorous, beautiful wetland plants. They are also adaptable and very hardy irises that thrive in good garden soil, kept moist in summer.

Iris sibirica 'Spindazzle' is a cultivar raised by Bob Bauer and John Coble (USA) registered in 2001. It is a rhizomatous deciduous perennial plant that forms an erect clump from spring. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. This selection is one of the many cultivars derived from Iris sibirica, native to Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey (but absent from Siberia), and Iris sanguinea found in China, Siberia, Japan, Manchuria and Korea. This iris 'Spindazzle' will reach about 80 cm in flower, 50 cm in leaf height, and the clump will spread about 50 cm. Its growth is medium, slower than Iris germanica. This plant has an erect habit, elegant in a dense clump. The foliage consists of long, narrow leaves of a slightly greyish green. From early May to early June, depending on the region, the flower stems thrust flowers composed of at least 12 petals above the foliage. The flowers open successively from the tip of the stem towards the lower branches. This iris spreads by rhizomes; its foliage dies back in winter.

Siberian iris 'Spindazzle' is perfect for the edge of a pond or a stream, or just in very moist soil, provided the crowns are not submerged in winter. It is also suitable for any type of garden that never dries out completely. It works perfectly in romantic, English, Japanese and even contemporary garden styles. In moist soil, it can be combined with many perennials that enjoy the same conditions: camassias, poet's narcissus, crocosmias, daylilies, astilbes.

Note: The wild Iris sibirica L. is an endangered species that must be protected. Horticultural "Sibirica" irises are derived from the hybridisation of different species of the Sibiricae series (I. sanguinea, etc.). Their flowers are larger than those of wild forms and come in various colours. Several hundred named cultivars have been registered.