Iris 'Immortality'

Iris 'Immortality': Ruffled White That Refuses to Retire

Ruffled pure white flowers that bloom, then come back AGAIN, then dare you to say goodbye. 'Immortality' is the plant that heard about retirement and decided it wasn't interested.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Iris germanica 'Immortality' (tall bearded iris)
• Common Name: Bearded Iris
• Height: 65–76 cm (26–30 in)
• Spread: 60 cm (24 in)
• Flowers: Ruffled pure white with white beards, lightly fragrant, several flowers per stem
• Bloom Time: Early summer (June), often reblooming from late summer to fall (August to October)
• Foliage: Upright, sword-shaped grey-green leaves
• Features: Reblooming

Where to Plant: White flowers fit almost anywhere in a sunny border, and it suits moon gardens, cottage beds and cutting gardens. It's a good choice where deer visit, and in clay soil, plant it high so water drains away from the rhizomes.

Companion Plants: Dianthus Star™ Single 'Neon Star' edges the front at 15 to 20 cm with magenta flowers from May into September. Allium giganteum adds big purple globes at 90 to 150 cm in May and June, just ahead of the iris. Perovskia 'CrazyBlue' brings violet flowers at 40 to 45 cm from July into September. All three love full sun, and the colours suit a white iris well.

Plant Care: Set the rhizome with its top at soil level and the roots spread beneath. Keep mulch away from it. Water through the first season, then only during long droughts. A light feeding with a low-nitrogen fertilizer after the first bloom, plus water during dry summer weeks, helps the rebloom. Cut spent stalks to the base. Remove dead foliage in late fall to limit iris borer. Divide every three to five years in July or August.

History: Lloyd Zurbrigg bred 'Immortality' from a cross of 'I Do' and 'English Cottage' and registered it in 1982, and the American Iris Society gave it an Honorable Mention in 1986 and an Award of Merit in 1990. Rebloom has since been reported in many U.S. states, several Canadian provinces and parts of Europe.

Final Thoughts: Deer resistant, drought tolerant once established and a sun lover. Plant it and enjoy the comeback tour. IT ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE.