Iris reticulata Sheila Ann Germaney

Iris reticulata 'Sheila Ann Germaney' is a cultivar of reticulated iris with pale blue flowers, similar to well-known varieties such as 'Katharina Hodgkin' and 'Frank Elder'. It stands out with its flowers striped with a pronounced Delft blue, on a slightly greyish light blue background. The lips are enhanced with a yellow midrib. The leaves are barely visible during flowering. This small, solid bulb with a delicate look is perfectly hardy and blooms in February-March, adapting well to mountainous or Mediterranean climates. A very pretty rockery and container plant, to be planted in well-drained soil. In humid climates, it is more perennial when grown in a pot, which also allows for a close-up view of its flowers.

Iris reticulata 'Sheila Ann Germaney' is the result of cross-breeding between Iris histroides major (blue) and Iris winnogradowii (pale yellow with spots in the throat). These plants are all native to the Caucasus and naturally grow in alpine meadows and rocky habitats (on limestone and gneiss-rich soil) between 1000 and 2500m altitude. Forming a small, erect and spreading clump of 15 cm in flower, this perennial spreads indefinitely through the production of bulblets. It flowers at the end of winter, when the days start to lengthen, usually in February-March. Its solitary, 7 to 8 cm long flowers, are relatively large compared to the size of the plant, and fragrant. They are composed of spatulate tepals, with the 3 upper ones narrow, erect and shorter, and the 3 lower ones wider, rounded, and strongly veined. Each flower is enclosed at the base in two scale-like bracts of a purplish green. The fruits are swollen capsules containing ovoid seeds. The foliage is short during flowering and lengthens afterwards. The basal leaves are glaucous green, with a quadrangular section, and sheathing at the base. They are deciduous and disappear in summer.

Iris reticulata 'Sheila Ann Germaney' adapts perfectly to pot cultivation, sunny borders or rockeries. This plant's main requirements are well-drained soil and exposure to sunlight. It blends beautifully with other small spring bulbs such as snowdrops, chionodoxas, crocuses, or early and botanical tulips. It also looks lovely in front of Stern hellebores that appreciate the sun, and it is recommended to plant it in groups of 15 bulbs alongside Pulsatilla patens, for example. This plant is also well-suited for alpine trough cultivation, where it can coexist with species such as Dodecatheon, Globularia cordifolia, or Saxifraga 'Pixie'.