It is hard to believe that a flower as beautiful as this could be as workaday as an iris. It is an iris masquerading as an orchid. This cultivar is much more common that the species, which has pale-lavender or white flowers. The stems resemble those of bamboo, topped with a fan of long leaves. The flowers are as short-lived as they are elegant, and leave behind uninspiring foliage that quickly becomes tatty. Plant it behind late-flowering perennials that will hide the plant once it has flowered. Cut out all the old stems back to the ground early in the year. The eponymous Mr Rix is a botanist, writer and plantsman and the author of many books, particularly those with photographer Roger Phillips which changed the way plant books are presented.
Height and Spread 80cm x 1m