Iris Navajo Jewel - Tall Bearded Iris

Iris 'Navajo Jewel', once aquired, will undoubtedly be one of those that will follow you in your various gardens. It is a low-maintenance, elegant plant, prolific and well-composed. This Iris seduces with the purity of its very light azure blue colour, and the fullness of its large wavy, thick, iridescent and translucent flowers, which exude a slight biscuit fragrance. This variety is among the first in the category of Tall Bearded Irises to flower in spring. It easily finds a place in the garden where it will live for many years without requiring much maintenance.

'Navajo Jewel' Iris is a rhizomatous perennial plant that develops from spring in elegantly upright clumps, with foliage disappearing in winter. It belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained over centuries, whose controversial origins revolve around the number of chromosomes of potential ancestors. It is worth noting that Garden Irises have European origins. They thrive in chalky soils and crave sunlight, with their rhizomes needing to 'bake' in summer in order to flower. A minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day is generally required.

'Navajo Jewel' will reach 95 cm (37in) high when flowering, it is a tall variety that is best not planted in very exposed windy areas. The clump will spread without theoretical limit over time, with the central rhizomes becoming bare in favour of the outer rhizomes. The foliage consists of long and wide sword-shaped leaves, a slightly glaucous green, crossed by parallel veins. Thin floral stems appear in April, with 3 well-distributed branches along their height, allowing each flower to bloom without hindering its neighbour. On each stem, 6 to 9 flower buds form, which will produce large wavy flowers in May, opening from the top towards the lower branches. The very uniform azure blue colour of this plant is magnified by the thick and iridescent texture of the upright petals and trailing sepals. Note that the flower is slightly fragrant.

Obtained by John Weiler, 1984

Awards: HM (Honorable Mention) in 1986, AM (Award of Merit) in 1990.

Instead of planting all your irises in a mass, place them in small clusters among other perennials to extend the flowering period of your beds. To complement the irises, choose plants to associate based on their needs (exposure, soil...), their vegetation (low-growing plants or light foliage), and their decorative appearance and flowering time. For example, Gaura will provide little shade to the irises and will keep the faded iris bed attractive throughout summer. Botanical tulips, early or bearded irises, as well as Eschscholzia, will tolerate the same dry soil as the irises in summer. Undemanding geraniums and autumn asters (laevis, turbinellus) also complement irises very well. Slopes and terraced edges will be stabilized by dense planting of old diploid varieties that require little care. If the goal is more decorative and access for maintenance is possible, one can choose more modern varieties, for example intermediates that are less likely than tall varieties to be literally flattened by wind and rain.

At the base of a wall, the relative shelter from the wind allows for the use of tall irises. Of course, shorter and early varieties can be planted in the foreground.

Border of a path: the realm of early irises under 40 cm (16in), up to intermediates (in size and earliness) and border irises, medium-sized but flowering with the tall ones.

Border of a bed: the domain of irises... for borders but also for dwarfs, depending on the circumstances.

Mixed border: the entire range of sizes can be used, to be chosen according to the space (foreground, background) and the size of the surrounding plants.

Iris bed, iris garden: the paradise of the iris lover where the choice of varieties reflects individual taste. The use of the full range of bearded irises allows for two and a half months of flowers in spring. The choice of reblooming irises offers a few additional flowers in late summer or autumn, depending on the climate.

The vegetable garden can be adorned with a few clumps or borders of irises for cut flowers.