Iris confusa: bamboo iris, 扁竹蘭
As the fig, olive and bay have matured, our seaside garden has become partly shaded. Where once plants basked in full sun, there are now spots that remain in cool shadow for most of the day. Having fought against the prevailing conditions for a few seasons, I have seen sense and sought out plants that will conjure up an exotic feel without needing a daily roasting. I have found that many plants, namely Isoplexis canariensis, Geranium maderense and Solanum laciniatum do just as well in dappled shade, producing bigger, lusher leaves. Light levels in Thanet are typically high, giving us a long growing season and, whilst Him Indoors bemoans the lack of sunbathing opportunities, the offending trees are responsible for keeping the garden frost-free in winter.
In my search for flamboyant shade lovers I’ve discovered an unusual iris from Asia, the bamboo iris, Iris confusa. I purchased three plants last autumn from the gardens at The Salutation and bedded them out in November rather than keep them in pots over winter. In the space of six months they have already made handsome, healthy clumps. The iris’ common name is apt as the plants produce pale green “hands” of foliage from short dark canes, strongly resembling the young shoots of a dwarf bamboo. (The Latin epithet “confusa” is applied to plants which appear to be something they are not.) The picture created by the splayed fans, arching gracefully outwards from the centre of each clump, reminds me of the vegetation I’ve seen growing along roadsides throughout Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The bamboo iris itself is from Western China.
In northern counties of the U.K. Iris confusa might be considered tender, but a good winter mulch should be enough to protect against fatal damage. Given shelter from strong winds, the foliage is a year-round pleasure and reward enough for one’s time and trouble. Then in spring the bamboo iris produces fine, arching sprays of orchid-like blooms – the stuff that floral artists’ dreams are made of. A single spray displayed in a slender bud vase would be elegant enough, but mixed with larger flowers and cascading foliage, or in a wedding bouquet, they could look sensational. The blooms of Iris confusa can be any shade from pure white to Wedgwood blue, each time emblazoned with golden signals. My plants all bear white flowers with a tender flush of violet. Their flattened countenance is unusual when compared to the extravagant falls and standards of bearded irises and the individual blooms are small, measuring only 6 or 7cm across.
Although I grow Iris confusa in a shaded spot, it is an unfussy plant, demanding nothing more than reasonable drainage and shelter enough to prevent the leaves being torn or desiccated. It is a spreader, but not outrageously so, and you will not be without friends willing to take a “hand” or two from you. Cuttings root easily in a glass of tap water. As a relatively drought tolerant shade plant the bamboo iris really comes into its own, spreading slowly, providing a nice contrast to more conventional leaf shapes and producing flowers that some might mistake for something far trickier to grow. The ideal planting companions are other oriental treasures; hostas, bamboos, astilbes, acers, ferns and mosses. Named varieties exist if you want to be sure of flower colour, although they are not widely available: I. confusa ‘Martyn Rix’ bears clear blue flowers and ‘Chengdu’ has prettily frilled edges to its light blue petals. My recommendation would be to grab a handful of rhizomes from a friend with a generous clump and simply get going as soon as you can.
For more on this lovely perennial, I enjoyed this blog post on The Creative Flux which provides lots more detail and beautiful photographs.
Categories: Daily Flower Candy, Floral Art, Flowers, Foliage, Photography, Plants
The hunt is on! Thanks for introducing me to yet another gem of a plant.
Mrs. P.
I am sure that by the time I see you next I’ll have been able to root a piece for you!
What an informative post, thank you. I shall look out for a white form, the connotations with Asian bamboos make it especially interesting to me.
I think you would like it Kate. For much of the year (i.e. when not flowering) it might be mistaken for an especially luscious bamboo. The flowers are a terrific bonus. I have seen it staked upright which creates a lovely effect: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/13949683085_8f3b975655_h.jpg
Thanks, I’ll check the link out.
Thank you, I am opening for the NGS for the first time this year and have a decidedly dodgy border under a sycamore tree, Martyn Rix is now winging its way here to solve the problem. By the way how do you know how many teas to do for these opening days?!!
Hi Andrew. All I can say is that almost everyone who visits our garden has tea and cake. We get about 200 visitors on our weekend (that’s in fine weather) and must do about that in teas or coffees. Should it rain I assume that would decrease dramatically. Because we live in the centre of town we are in a position to buy almost anything we might need within 2 minutes, which is handy. I wish you lots of luck with your opening. We find it hard work but ultimately very uplifting.
Oh yes, definitely hard work, talk about hedge cutters elbow and knee and back…I am all of about three miles from you so hopefully some of your cake eaters will find their way here.
Where are you and when? I must come and eat cake!
I hope you do. 11th and 12th of June, between Ramsgate and Minster, all on the NGS website, you will hate it though all G.Palmatum and not a Maderense in sight. Twenty years ago the whole garden was cannas, gingers and bananas but a combination of thin chalk, Thanet winds and unexpected frosts defeated that mood, now it is all old England and nostalgia, but no sweet peas, that would be too much!
Thanks for your lovely posts. I stumbled upon it whilst looking for an iris to recreate the magic of iris’ lining the banks of the Japanese temples in Kyoto. I will keep an eye out for this
I think Iris confusa would good do a good job for you. It is a plant with a relaxed yet definitively oriental style.
It is such a great plant, isn’t it? I wish we lived closer to each other. I would beg you to trade one of your whites for one of my my blue ones. Since I wrote that post, I have also started growing Iris japonica which is very similar in every way, except minus the “bamboo culms” – so more compact. I love them both! Good to know that you can also propagate cuttings in water – I have yet to have anyone turn down a start of this iris!
I have recently discovered another rockstar plant for my ever-present shady, somewhat dry conditions. Have you grown Libertia grandiflora? It’s tough as nails, evergreen, and over a few years develop this nice clump of arching, strappy, dark green leaves – like the type of plant that usually requires far more light. When its little white flowers bloom on their piano string stalks in summer, it practically glows – especially during dusk. I’ve grown to really appreciate it. Can’t figure out how to post a photo on here for you, but posted a recent shot a couple of days ago on Instagram – @OVanna11, if you’re interested. 🙂
Yes, I have some Libertia grandiflora growing in a pot. I used to have a lot more of it but it slowly got shaded out where it was. I found it did much better in sun. I leave those long stems on and it seeds everywhere, which is handy. Dan
It seeds? Cool – I had no idea… I haven’t seen any evidence of that in my garden yet (too shady, maybe), but I would welcome it.