Iris Palette De Peintre - Bearded Iris

Iris 'Palette de Peintre' is a Garden Iris that lives up to its name. Its overall bicoloured flowers have a beautiful pastel harmony between white petals, beautiful light violet veins on the very pale purple sepals, and golden yellow beards. A palette of colours enhanced by the beautiful shape of the frilly flowers. It is a medium-sized variety that blooms towards the end of the iris season.

Iris Palette de Peintre is a rhizomatous, deciduous perennial plant that develops elegantly upright clumps from spring and belongs to the Iridaceae family. It is one of the many cultivars obtained over centuries, whose controversial origin is debated around the number of chromosomes of potential ancestors. It should be noted that bearded Irises have European origins. They thrive in chalky soils and require plenty of sunlight, with their rhizomes needing to "cook" in summer to be able to flower. A minimum of 6 hours of sunlight per day is generally required.

'Palette de Peintre' will reach a height of 80 cm (32in) when in bloom, with several buds per stem. 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, slightly glaucous green leaves, with parallel veins running through them. Floral stems appear in April-May with beautiful, large, wavy flowers towards the end of May or the beginning of June, blooming from the top to the lower branches. They consist of 3 upright petals dominating 3 almost horizontal sepals. The colour is magnified by the thick and iridescent texture of the floral parts.

Breeding Bourdillon (France), 2021. ('Spring Madness' x 'Painter's Touch') 

To accompany irises, choose plants based on their needs (exposure, soil...), growth (low plants or light foliage, non-competitive plants), decorative appearance and flowering date. For example, Gauras will provide little shade and keep the faded iris bed attractive all summer. California Poppies and Love-in-a-Mist will be satisfied with dry soil in summer. Perennial geraniums, salvias, and Libertia also accompany irises very well. Slopes, the base of small trees with light foliage, and terraced edges can be stabilised by a dense planting of old varieties that require little care. If the goal is more decorative and access for care is possible, you can choose more modern varieties like intermediates that are less likely to be laid flat by wind and rain.

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