Iris unguicularis ssp. cretensis 19750060A

Continuing from last weeks post with the theme of flowers requiring warmth to release their scent is Iris unguicularis ssp. cretensis. A delightful compact species with, at bud stage, tightly rolled petals. Unfurling a dominant blue reveal yellow splashes of colour with net vein lines on the falls resembling a peacock feather in miniature. A native of Crete and areas of Greece where it is baked by the intense sunlight.

In the garden, growing at the base of a conifer where the soil is dry and moisture from rainfall hard to come by.Iris unguicularis ssp. cretensis Here the rhizomatous root system manages to imbibe and store enough water to throw out fresh growth of the narrowest pencil thin foliage and produce a crop of flowers annually.