Iris sibirica Ruffled Velvet - Siberian Iris

Iris sibirica 'Ruffled Velvet' is a very beautiful variety of Siberian iris, which has been awarded multiple times in the United States. Vigorous, compact, and floriferous, the plant produces superb flowers with undulate petals that have a velvety appearance, enhancing its deep blue-violet colour. A throat striped with pale-yellow to white adds a refined touch to this generous late spring flowering. Appreciated for their graceful flowers and finely upright foliage, Siberian irises are beautiful plants for moist soils, unlike their cousins, the German irises. They are also hardy and adaptable plants, thriving in good garden soil that remains moist in summer. Indispensable near water bodies, as long as the roots are not submerged in winter, they are perfectly suited for romantic, English, and even contemporary gardens.

The 'Ruffled Velvet' iris is a horticultural hybrid introduced by Mc Ewen in 1973 (USA). It was awarded by the American Iris Society in 1974 (Honourable Mention) and again in 1980 (Award of Merit). It belongs to the Iridaceae family and is included in the group of Siberian irises (sibiricae in Latin). Its ancestors come from Asia, specifically from marshy and sunny areas found in Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, and Korea. It is an herbaceous perennial plant with a creeping and thick rhizome. Its above-ground vegetation disappears in winter.

It matures in 4 years, reaching approximately 70cm (28in) in height when flowering. From spring, it forms a dense clump of narrow, linear, upright leaves of a medium greyish-green colour. The flowering occurs in June-July. From the clump of leaves emerge hollow and ramified flower stems, slightly taller than the foliage. Each stem bears numerous floral buds, measuring 5 to 7cm (2 to 3in) in length and 1cm (0.4in) in width. The buds open into flowers with a diameter of 6 to 7cm (2 to 3in), composed of 3 large undulating drooping sepals surmounted by 3 smaller undulating upright inner petals. In the centre of the flower, there are 3 erect pistils resembling small fringed petals in a mauve-violet colour, covering 3 very discreet light-coloured stamens. The dominant colour is a deep blue-violet, with the sepals striped with pale-yellow, white, and very dark violet at the base. After pollination by insects, the flowers give way to fruits that are capsules containing seeds.

Siberian irises are wonderful plants for landscaping near water features. However, they are cultivated somewhat like Iris ensata and do not appreciate soils that are both waterlogged and frozen in winter. One solution is to plant them in pots that are submerged in spring and removed in autumn. This iris can be easily grown in good garden soil (preferably non-calcareous or enriched with turf) that remains moist all year round. Mix them together, combining different colours, or, for example, with Japanese primroses or feathery astilbes. Also consider pairing them with strands of Phalaris arundinacea 'Cote de Nacre', which are very tolerant, or with flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus).