True Blue

Iris reticulata 'Clairette'

Likely a hybrid between the variable Iris reticulata and Iris bakeriana, this is a very striking and truly blue Iris. Many of the reticulatas are in the purple shades but this one has sky blue standards and the darkest navy blue falls ... or are they indigo, which isn't blue at all!

Indigo is the colour that falls between Violet and Blue in the visible spectrum. Named after the indigo dye which is derived from Indigofera tinctoria, a flowering plant .... which brings us nicely back to the first Iris of the year.