Iris 'Black Joker'

Iris 'Black Joker': Midnight Purple Over Hidden Gold

Deep purple falls with a gold rim, a yellow signal and pearly blue-violet in the middle. 'Black Joker' has more going on than a game night gone sideways, and IT'S ALWAYS THE WINNING CARD.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Iris sibirica 'Black Joker'
• Common Name: Siberian Iris
• Height: 48–50 cm (19–20 in)
• Spread: 50 cm (20 in)
• Flowers: Deep purple falls with a soft gold rim and a heavily veined yellow signal, pale yellow-lavender standards washed with violet, and pearl style arms touched with blue-violet and aqua. Lightly fragrant.
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Narrow, upright, grass-like green leaves that stay tidy after bloom
• Features: Very cold hardy, fragrant flowers

Where to Plant: It's short for a Siberian iris, so it fits the front or middle of a border, and its upright, grassy foliage adds structure long after the flowers are done. It's also good near a pond or in a rain garden, handles clay soil well, and makes a striking cut flower.

Companion Plants: Plant 'Black Joker' in a moist bed in sun or part shade with gold globeflowers and black grass-like tufts. Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' edges the front with black, grass-like tufts at 15 to 25 cm. Aruncus aethusifolius adds creamy dwarf goat's beard sprays at 25 to 45 cm in June and July. Trollius 'Golden Queen' brings orange-gold globeflowers at 75 to 90 cm in June and July. Hibiscus 'Starry Starry Night' opens speckled pale pink blooms over dark leaves at 105 to 120 cm from July to September.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in moist, fertile soil. Siberian irises like more water than bearded irises, so keep them well watered through the first season and during dry spells. Set the crown about 2–5 cm (1–2 in) below the soil surface. Mulch helps hold in moisture. Cut off the flower stems after blooming. Leave the foliage standing until late fall, or cut it back in early spring. Divide when the centre of the clump starts to thin, every few years, in late summer or early spring. Keep the divisions moist until they're replanted.

History: Marty Schafer and Jan Sacks of Joe Pye Weed's Garden in Carlisle, Massachusetts bred 'Black Joker', which was registered with the American Iris Society and introduced in 2013. In 2023 it received the Morgan-Wood Medal, the society's top award for Siberian irises, partly named for the pioneering Montreal breeder F. Cleveland Morgan.

Final Thoughts: Lightly fragrant, deer resistant and seriously cold hardy. Deal it into a sunny bed and watch everyone else FOLD.