Iris ensata Sue Jo

 So Iris ensata Sue Jo is one of my new cultivars, flowering this year for the first time. It was bred by Donald Delmez, and was registered in 2003. It is a double flower with flattish ruffled, flared petals which have striking blue veining on a white background, with yellow signals. This year it had a flower head of about 5 inches across, and grew to about 20 inches; it can grow up to 39 inches. The style arms are a dark blue/purple and are slightly ruffled on my plant. It has received several awards including an Honourable mention in 2006, Award of merit 2008 , and the prestigious Payne medal in 2010. It is a striking plant, which I think will form an impressive clump over time.

Iris ensata Sue Jo. It's quite a show-stopper! 

Currently this plant is in a raised bed in the side garden where it seems quite happy. Unfortunately, a neighbouring Lupin is crowding it out a bit, so some re-arrangements will have to be made in the Autumn (Fall). Iris ensata are greedy feeders and like plenty of sun and water, so if your garden is designed to show off their ephemeral beauty, then you have plan around those considerations. So, aggressive perennials have to be located at a suitable distance, and a strategic use of annuals planned to fill in the gaps when these lovelies have finished flowering. 

In my old age I am embracing quite a vulgar taste for colour (very Non -U q.v). So the green foliage of Iris ensata, whilst quite lovely, does not satisfy my requirement of continuous colour and interest in the garden. This year, I have relied on Cosmos 'Sonata' to fill the gaps, which have certainly ticked the box as far as colour is concerned. However, these are quite big plants requiring quite a bit of space, and a lot of watering. I suspect they are competing with the Iris ensata for both nutrients and water. The other good value 'annual' (seems to be perennial in my garden) is Nicotiana mutabilis, which has airy pink fronds of white flowers, which turn pink after pollination. Unlike the stately Nicotiana sylvestris, N. Mutabilis appears to have no discernible scent. Again, it maybe a to much of a greedy feeder to continue using it in subsequent years. 

More research and planning to be done!

Iris ensata Azuma Kagami

This is yet another new addition to my Iris ensata collection. (To be honest, not many survived the move from our last home. I had planned to dig them all up and split them, but then the purchasers wanted an early completion of the Sale, and I never got round to it. It's a great pity, in that I had most of the Rowden Garden cultivars, which are now quite difficult to source). But I digress. Back to the current collection. 

Iris ensata Azuma Kagami.  Copyright © Bernadette Adams 2022

From its name, I assume that this cultivar came from Japan originally. There is no listing on the wiki.irises.org website.  It is a flat double form standing about 20 inches (50 cms) high, and striking indigo blue stripes(veins) on the white fall. The flowers this year were about 6 inches across (15 cms), and flowered from the middle of June to early July - about three weeks. The style arms (the three central, triangular arranged bits) are a deep intense blue. It currently resides between Aquilegias and a Veronica, neither of which complements it particularly. I think the Aquilegias will have to be moved (The Veronica provides summer colour when the Iris ensata have finished), and I have just acquired a lovely new Campanula percicifolia alba, which I think will look fabulous alongside it. Next year's photos will reveal all!

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So though I mainly buy my Iris ensata from specialist growers, there are some of the larger garden centres which do sell a few of the more rarer types of iris. Barton Grange near Preston Lancashire is one such. I bought Iris ensata Azuma Kagami there, but did not take a picture at the time. However, I did buy Iris ensata Gusto there as you can see from the pictures below.

Iris ensata Gusto

The Plant Hall at Barton Grange.

A few photos from Barton Grange, near Preston. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Copyright© Bernadette Adams 2022

Barton Grange may not sell many irises, but they are always top quality plants. It's also a great place to visit, whether you're a plantsperson, someone looking for garden accessories, tools, materials, home furnishings, and they even have a restaurant, cafe and food-hall. 

We don't have many places which sell Iris ensata in the UK, so I will eventually make a list of those which I have used and found satisfactory.