Iris ensata 'LOYALTY'

Japanese iris (syn. i.kaempferi) is a showy and very hardy iris species with large, beardless flowers. It comes from Northeast Asia - Siberia, Korea, N.China, and Japan. New varieties are quite rare and more expensive.

Loyalty is a deep purple violet variety of Japanese iris where the throat is decorated with vivid yellow flames. Its double flowers are extra large - almost 20 cm across, borne atop 90-100 cm tall, strong, single, pale green stems, and appear from the first decade of June until early July. Sword-like leaves are light to pale green. The extravagant look of the flowers make this iris a perfect choice for modern landscapes used in mass plantings. It will also look great as a companion plant in between medium or taller non-flowering shrubs.

Japanese iris loves moist or partly wet sites, however, it does not like standing water around the rhizome neck in winter. It will even cope with heavy clay unless it tends to dry out like a rock in summer. Full sun is best, partial shade is allowed but plants will flower less profusely. Occasional fertilizing is welcome to enhance flowering and plant health. Fully hardy to min. -34°C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 26-12-2018