Iris sibirica Tipped in Blue - Siberian Iris

Iris sibirica 'Tipped in Blue' bears magnificent bicoloured flowers, 15cm (6in) in diameter. They are primrose yellow with a lavender-blue centre, creating a contrasted and soft display. Its yellow petals are traversed by a dense network of mauve-blue veins, just like the petal tips, as if dipped in this sky-blue colour. They bloom in May-June on a medium-sized upright plant. The so-called Siberian irises are beautiful plants for moist or cool soil, appreciated for the grace and elegance of their flowers and fine foliage. They form sculptural and vigorous clumps, equally beautiful in a contemporary or romantic garden. They are essential near water bodies. 

Iris sibirica 'Tipped in Blue' is a rhizomatous and deciduous perennial plant, with an upright tufted growth habit from spring onwards. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained from I. sibirica, native to Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Turkey, but absent from Siberia, and I. sanguinea, present in China, Siberia, Japan, Manchuria, and Korea. This iris reaches a height of 80cm (32in), 1m (3ft) in bloom, and the clump spreads over 50cm (20in). Its growth is moderate, slower than that of the German Iris. The 'Tipped in Blue' Siberian iris has an upright, elegant growth habit in dense clumps. The foliage consists of long, narrow green-grey leaves. In late spring and early summer, the flower stems project above the foliage with flowers consisting of 3 sepals and 3 petals organising themselves and succeeding from the tip of the stem to the lower branches. They are primrose yellow, marked and veined with lavender-blue. This iris spreads through rhizomes.

Iris sibirica 'Tipped in Blue' tolerates a wet situation, on a bank for example, as long as it is not permanently submerged. It can also be grown in ordinary garden soil, as long as it remains cool. It prefers acidic to neutral (pH 4.5 to 8), rich and well-drained soil. It is irreplaceable on the edge of a water feature or stream, or simply in moist soil. Its grace is perfect for romantic gardens, English gardens, and other mixed borders. It can be planted with summer snowflake, camassia, daylilies, delphiniums, and columbines, with which it forms a perennial flower bed from April to July. In a contemporary garden, it can be planted on the edge of a water feature alongside hostas or astilbes in partial shade.

Note: The wild Siberian iris (Iris sibirica L.) is an endangered and protected species that must be respected. Horticultural Siberian irises are the result of hybridisation between different species of the Sibericae 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.