Iris 'Ruffled Velvet'

Iris 'Ruffled Velvet': Red-Purple Velvet with Gold Flashes

Velvety dark red-purple falls with gold markings under ruffled purple standards. 'Ruffled Velvet' looks like a smoking jacket at a fancy dinner party, and IT KNOWS EVERYBODY'S STARING.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Iris sibirica 'Ruffled Velvet'
• Common Name: Siberian Iris
• Height: 55–75 cm (22–30 in)
• Spread: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowers: Velvety dark red-purple falls with gold markings and darker veining, below lightly ruffled purple standards
• Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer (May to June)
• Foliage: Narrow, grass-like green leaves in an upright clump
• Features: Morgan Award winner (1980), tolerates moist soil, attracts butterflies, good cut flower

Where to Plant: It's a smart choice for pond edges, rain gardens, low spots and any border that stays a bit damp, and it does fine in ordinary garden soil, including clay. Plant it in groups for the best effect, and enjoy the tall grassy foliage as a backdrop once flowering is over.

Companion Plants: Caltha palustris brings yellow flowers at 30 to 45 cm in April and May, and like the iris it handles moist ground. Geranium 'Max Frei' adds magenta flowers at 15 to 20 cm from June through August. Persicaria polymorpha rises behind to 120 to 180 cm with cream plumes from June through August. All three grow in sun to partial sun.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in moist, fertile soil that's slightly acidic to neutral. Unlike bearded iris, Siberian iris rhizomes go a few centimetres below the soil surface. Keep it watered well through its first year and during summer droughts. Cut the flower stems down after blooming if you don't want seed pods. Leave the foliage standing until late fall or early spring, then cut it to the ground. Clumps can go many years without dividing. When the centre starts to die out, divide in late summer or early spring and replant the healthy outer pieces.

History: 'Ruffled Velvet' came from Currier McEwen of Maine, a physician and one of the most important Siberian iris breeders of the 20th century, and it was introduced in 1973. It earned an American Iris Society Honorable Mention in 1974 and the Morgan Award, the top honour for Siberian irises, in 1980.

Final Thoughts: Deer resistant, happy in moist soil and great in a vase. The butterflies are already seated. PLANT ONE AND DIM THE LIGHTS.