Iris sibirica Snow Queen - Siberian Iris

Iris sibirica (sanguinea) 'Snow Queen' is a particularly bright variety of blood iris. Its white flowers are touched with golden yellow at the throat. Appreciated for their graceful flowers and their fine, upright foliage in a sculptural and vigorous tuft, the so-called Siberian irises are very beautiful plants for wetlands, unlike their cousins Iris germanica. They are also hardy and adaptable plants that will thrive in good garden soil that remains moist in summer. They are irreplaceable by water sources, provided that the roots are not submerged in winter, and they are perfectly suited to romantic, English, and even contemporary gardens.

Iris sanguinea belongs to the Iridaceae family that is included in the Siberian iris group (sibiricae in Latin). It is native to Asia, specifically the marshy meadows found in Russia, Mongolia, China, Japan, and Korea. This species is often confused with Iris sibirica, from which it differs mainly by its non-ramified flower stems. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with a creeping and thick rhizome, whose above-ground vegetation disappears in winter.

The 'Snow Queen' variety will reach a height of 50cm (20in) when in bloom. In spring, the plant forms a dense green-grey tuft of narrow, linear leaves. The flowering takes place in June-July. Hollow and non-ramified flower stems emerge from the tuft of leaves, slightly taller than the vegetation. Each stem carries 2 to 3 floral buds tinted with red at the base, measuring 5 to 7cm (2 to 3in) long and 1cm (0.4in) wide. The buds open into flowers with a diameter of 6 to 7cm (2 to 3in), composed of 3 large, trailing sepals topped with 3 smaller, upright inner petals. The flowers are pure white, with the base of each sepal maculated with golden yellow. After pollination by insects, the flowers give way to fruits that are capsules containing seeds.

Siberian iris plants are wonderful for landscaping water points. However, they are cultivated somewhat like Iris ensata: they do not appreciate soils that are both waterlogged and frozen in winter. The solution may be to plant them in pots that are submerged in spring and taken out in autumn. In good garden soil that remains moist all year round, this problem does not arise and this iris is easy to grow. Combine them together by mixing colours, or for example with Japanese primroses or feathery astilbes.