May Plant of the Month

The RHS now call this plant simply Iris pallida – hurrah! It deserves a simple, no nonsense name because it is an ancient plant long in cultivation. Beautiful, lavender blue flowers appear in May-June on tall stems arising from handsome foliage. The grey/green sword like leaves are a notable feature in themselves and the flowers have the added bonus of being scented. 

Tall and statuesque to 1m, this plant requires sun and free draining soil. It thrives in dry conditions and dislikes wet soils.

Posts from the blog:

Adding annuals

A selection of recommended annuals.

The bees are a’ buzzing!

The garden is alive with bees as they gather pollen from a whole host of flowers.

Unfurling ferns

Take the opportunity to get close up to your ferns and admire the fascinating structures that exist within this family of ancient plants.

Plant sleuth

This mystery plant had leaves that were still lush in October but with no sign of any flowers to give me a lead.