Iris hollandica Royal Yellow - Dutch Iris

The Iris hollandica 'Royal Yellow' offers a royal flower in pure, magnetic yellow, highlighted by a small yellow-orange spot on the sepals. This bulbous iris blooms in the middle of the Dutch Iris season, while the 'Blue Magic' and 'Sapphire Beauty' varieties are preparing to bid farewell. Its elegant and brightly coloured flowers, with their stylised curves, stand out for their elegance in the garden and allow for the creation of sumptuous bouquets. Pair the solar yellow of 'Royal Yellow' with the celestial blue of forget-me-nots or botanical delphiniums!

The Dutch Iris, or bulbous iris, have an underground reserve organ in the form of a bulb, rather than a rhizome like their famous cousins the Iris germanica, the garden iris. Belonging to the same botanical family as the latter, the iridaceae family, they also differ from them by the absence of "beards," those pretty little fluffy and colourful tongues found on the drooping sepals of the Iris germanica. The first (x) hollandica irises never grew in the wild on Dutch soil, but are the result of cross-breeding between two main botanical species: Iris filifolia, sometimes confused with Iris xyphium which resembles it, both native to Spain and North Africa, and Iris tingitana, from Tangier and northern Morocco. The genealogy of Dutch hybrids is sometimes confusing, but the result is always remarkable. Their flowers, somewhat underutilised in the garden, are highly appreciated in floristry.

The Royal Yellow cultivar forms an erect and very narrow clump over time, reaching 50-55 cm (20-22in) when in bloom. This perennial extends without any theoretical limit through the production of bulblets. This cultivar blooms in late spring, usually in May-June, for 2 to 3 weeks, on sturdy stems that withstand the wind. Its solitary or paired flowers on the stems, measuring up to 10 cm (4in) in diameter, are relatively thin compared to those of Iris germanica, but undeniably elegant. Each flower consists of 3 upright, slender, translucent petals of small size. Below this trio are 3 slightly drooping petals, closely linked to the dentate petaloid styles at the edges, arranged in quincunx. Slightly wider, they are slightly spatulate, marked with a beautiful dark yellow to orange spot. Each flower can live for 5 to 7 days, even when cut. The bulb is round, 2 to 3 cm (1in) wide, covered with a fibrous tunic of a rosy beige colour. It produces a few linear, thin and leathery leaves, somewhat resembling those of a grass, with a slightly glaucous green colour, often slightly striated and folded in half towards the ground. They often appear in autumn, persist to a greater or lesser extent depending on the severity of the winter, and dry up in summer during the dormant period.

Less well-known and less used by gardeners than Iris germanica, Dutch Iris are nevertheless easy to cultivate in fertile, light soil, with undeniable elegance, and are also indifferent to wild weeds that have difficulty infiltrating their very vertical clumps. Plant them in groups of 10 to 20 bulbs of the same variety: they will come back year after year to offer you more and more refined and cheerful flowers, which go well with the spring flowering of flowering shrubs. They are also stunning when accompanied by ornamental garlic, planted among flowers such as Californian poppies, peonies, and daylilies, which will cover their absence in summer when they are dormant. Their Mediterranean origins give them excellent adaptation to summer drought. Lastly, pick their flowers to create bouquets with roses, arums, or even late tulips. All irises need a sunny exposure to flower well. Give them at least half a day of full sun each day.