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Deservedly popular, this has delicate flax-blue slightly fragrant flowers with spectacular ruffled petals in May and June and fans of sword-shaped grey-green leaves. This tall bearded iris is gorgeous planted en masse in a sunny well-drained border or as part of a cottage-garden scheme.

• Garden care: Bearded irises prefer full sun and neutral to acidic soil but they are tolerant of alkaline soils as long as the pH is not too high. Plant shallowly with the upper part of the rhizome sitting on the surface of the soil, incorporating a low nitrogen fertiliser in the planting hole. After planting, remove the upper-most third of the leaves to protect against wind-rock. In exposed areas, stake with bamboo canes in early spring. Divide and replant about every three years.