Monday, May 7, 2012

Iris lutescens campellii

In general, I like Iris.  For some reason, I find this diminutive species irresistible.  I think because it has the beauty of the tall bearded and standard dwarf bearded iris, without being in your face.  It's a quiet beauty that is always a pleasing sight in the spring.

Iris lutescens campellii is a neat dwarf iris found in dry areas ranging from Italy to southern Spain.  It has small lavender flowers with a darker purple signal and beards that are white with some yellow.  Foliage is typical blue-green iris foliage that is slightly curved.  Because of its small  size (4-6" in my garden), it makes an excellent addition to the rock garden or trough garden. 

It can also be used in a mixed perennial border as long as care is taken to make sure it isn't over crowded by other plants.  Make sure it has well drained soil, as like most bearded iris it doesn't like excess water.  While drought tolerant, it doesn't want to be too dry either, and will perform best with some irrigation and fertilizer in the summer months. 







2 comments:

  1. Nick, I went back over a number of your postings and I like your photos. Very nice. I too post lots of photos because I think they help give the story of my gardens here on the shores of Lake Michigan. In fact, I often include the lake as a backdrop to the gardens. It really gives life to this space. You might enjoy looking at one or two of the past archives to get the feel of this place. www.gardensatwaterseast.blogspot.com The lake makes this place. Jack

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  2. Thanks Jack! I've been over to your blog a few times (for some reason however I had never subscribed... that's fixed now) and you have a great view and lots of cool plants! What county are you in? I may have to drop by for a visit sometime. I've been really lax on not only posting this year (a post or 2 will be forthcoming in the very near future!) but keeping up with my blog reading. Hopefully I'll have time to get back to reading them soon!

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