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Herbaceous PerennialBulbs

Iris 'Sapphire Beauty' (Dut)

A bulbous perennial, growing to 65cm tall, with narrow, upright, strap-shaped, green leaves and tall, sturdy stems bearing elegant flowers with dark blue standards and paler blue falls with a yellow signal. Perfect for cut flowers

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.1–0.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Sand

Loam

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Iridaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright
Potentially harmful: Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Harmful if eaten. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Iris may be rhizomatous or bulbous perennials, with narrow leaves and erect stems bearing flowers with 3 large spreading or pendent fall petals, alternating with 3 erect, often smaller, standard petals, in late winter, spring or early summer
Name status: Accepted
Horticultural Group: Dutch Iris are herbaceous bulbous perennials with narrow, channelled leaves and blue yellow or white flowers in late spring and early summer

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in any moderately fertile, neutral to alkaline, well drained soil in full sun. Plant bulbs at twice their height in late summer or early autumn and feed with a high potash fertiliser after flowering. See bulb iris cultivation for more information

Propagation

Propagate by offsets in late summer or early autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Cut back old flower stems after flowering and remove dying foliage in autumn. Lift and separate bulbs in autumn

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to leaf spots, ink disease, rust diseases, bulb rot and viruses; see Iris diseases for more details

Get involved

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