Iris germanica Antarctique - Bearded Iris

'Antarctique' is an intermediate garden iris that is particularly floriferous, offering a soft contrast between pure white petals and pale lavender blue sepals. Shorter than a tall bearded iris, it happily grows in a sunny border, at the front of a flower bed or on a well-drained slope. It flowers before or at the same time as the earliest tall iris varieties, on short stems that are more resistant to wind.

This plant reaches about 45 cm in height when in flower. Its clump gradually widens by means of short rhizomes and, after a few years, forms an upright clump 30 to 40 cm across. The leaves, narrow, stiff and glaucous green, are arranged in fans. The flowers are formed of three pure white upright petals, over three light lavender blue trailing sepals, adorned with a light yellow beard. In iris terminology, this type of flower is called amoena: the upright petals are white or nearly white, while the sepals are coloured. In 'Antarctique', the flower stems carry several buds that open successively over about 3 weeks. It is a rather early variety, which flowers in April-May or in May depending on the region.

'Antarctique' was bred in France by Richard Cayeux and registered in 1993 under seedling number 8708 B. Its parentage combines the cultivars 'Boo' and 'Spinning Wheel'. It belongs to the group of intermediate bearded irises, situated between dwarf irises and tall irises in both height and flowering period. 

Botanically, garden bearded iris cultivars are assigned to Iris × germanica, an ancient hybrid between the species Iris pallida and I. variegata. These are hardy perennials in well-drained soil and resistant to summer drought once well established. The clump widens by the elongation of the rhizomes at the periphery. These rhizomes must remain close to the surface, with their backs visible to the sun. When the centre of the clump becomes less floriferous, divide the clump after flowering or at the end of summer, then replant the young peripheral rhizomes.

Plant iris ‘Antarctique’ in groups of three to five rhizomes, spaced 30 to 35 cm apart. In a very sunny, well-drained flower bed, it can be combined with the Allium karataviense ‘Ivory Queen’, the Nepeta ‘Purrsian Blue’ and the pink ‘Haytor White’ for example.