Siberian Iris

From Ken Walker's Garden

Siberian iris are mostly native to Asia with Iris siberica extending into Europe. The common garden siberians are varieties and hybrids of Iris siberica and Iris sanguinea. These are very cold-hardy plants. The sino-siberians are native to China and and while they appear similar to the commonly grown siberians they don't hybridize readily with them. The sino-siberian are said to be more difficult to grow; I have mine in planters rather than trying them in our clay soil.

I delavayi

I delavayi, a sino-siberian
Photo Date: 13 May 2000

I forrestii

I forrestii, a sino-siberian
Photo Date: 22 May 1999

Kamayama

I sanguinea 'Kamayama'
Photo Date: 23 April 1999

White Triangles

White Triangles, Warburton 1987
Photo Date: 24 April 1999
While an interesting flower, it doesn't open out like a "proper" siberian.

Purple Siberian

probably pure Iris siberica
Photo Date: 4 May 1999
This has to look of an "unimproved" wild iris. I think it is a very nice flower.

Another Purple Siberian

Photo Date: 1 May 2001
I traded some other iris for this siberian iris. It didn't come with a cultivar name.

sold as Iris chrysographes

Photo Date: 4 May 1999
Iris chrysographes is known for the deep puple variety refered to as "the black iris". However, this looks to me like a dark purple modern hybrid of Iris siberica.

Iris wilsonii hybrid?

Hybrid sino-siberian.
Photo Date: 13 May 2000
Iris wilsonii is a sino-siberian that should be yellow with darker markings. This was sold as the species but appears to be a hybrid.

Prabably I. sanguinea

Photo Date: 4 May 1999
I grew this iris from seed that was supposed to have come from Iris tridentata, but that iris has tiny standards so this is clearly something else. Iris prismatica has similar flowers and its range overlaps that if I. tridentata, but the stems, ovary, and the way it grows only in dense clumps rules out that iris. So it is quite certainly a siberian iris, probably I. sanguinea.

Copyright 1999-2001 Kenneth Walker This page is copyrighted. The written material in it may not be used without permission. However, the iris photographs on this page that I have taken are not copyrighted. They are in the public domain. While you may not claim ownership or authorship of these pictures, you may otherwise use them without restriction. If you use the pictures, I don't mind being credited with taking them, though it is not required. HOME