Dwarf Iris 'Harmony'

The flowers are a striking dark blue, punctuated by deep purple markings and a bright, golden strip. Mid to late July.

Iris 'Harmony' will multiply easily creating lovely bright areas in your garden. The leaves are narrow and upright.

These are very hardy bulbs that will tolerate frost, full sun to semi shade and any well drained soil. Dwarf Iris ‘Harmony’ looks wonderful in a rockery, packed into a pot or in groups towards the front of a garden bed.

You get one to three flowers per bulb so they are best planted in clumps for a succession of colour. The valiant petals stand up to all sorts of weather and they love the cold.

We love this quote about Iris reticulata from the famous gardener, Vita Sackville-West: “We especially welcome any flower which lightens the gloom of winter of its own accord. The more fragile and improbable looking, the better. Such a flower is Iris reticulata. It seems extraordinary that anything so gay, delicate, and brilliant should really prefer the rigours of winter to the amenities of spring.”

Plant Dwarf Iris ‘Harmony’ around 8cm deep. Water in well, then you only need to worry if rainfall is low. In pots, water weekly after planting. They originate in Turkey and the Middle East so appreciate a dry summer which is perfect for our climate.

The bulbs don’t need to be lifted and can be left in the ground to naturalise where they tend to multiply steadily. They are best given their own special spot in the garden, amongst a rockery or in a pot. They would rather not be disturbed and will pop up and bring you joy each year, breaking winter’s spell with their magnificence.

Their botanical name, reticulata refers to the outer layer of the bulb which looks like a net. This variety is a result of a hybridisation between I. histrioides.