I like to mix irises with other plants in my beds based on colour. I am trying out various combinations and so far I have (iris)beds in brown/beige and lilac/mauve (and blueish foliage), one in blue/purple and white, another in bordeaux and white, a blue iris bed (blue, purple and white) in memory of my grandmother and I am putting together a fire-bed with red purple foliage and flowers in yellow, orange and red. The beds I will be making this year will be a little more of the 'where can I possibly put another iris' variety, but hey, it's irises so it can't be too bad, right? Right?
I try to use plants which will either flower for at long time or make sure I have plants which flower at different times of year to carry the colour scheme for as long as possible through the seasons.
Only a few of the beds are mature enough to give the full effect yet. I have posted pictures of my brown/beige and lilac/mauve bed several times before, but I'm still quite happy with it, especially because I never thought I would find enough 'brown' flowers to ever make it work:
I like how the lilac Pincushions and the blue Fescue emphasise the blue in the iris foliage.
In the picture (left to right):
TB Mythology (T. Johnson 2003)
TB Guatemala (T. Johnson 2005)
Pincushion (Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue')
Blue Fescue (Festuca valesiaca glaucantha)
Coral Bells (Heuchera 'Caramel')
Star of Persia (Allium christophii)
Oriental Poppy (Papaver orientale 'Patty's Plum')
The little iris leaves in front belongs to
MDB 'Extra' (Cleo Palmer 1989)
Other irises in this bed (among many others):
SDB 'Hocus Pocus' (Ben Hager 1976)
SDB 'Bonnie Babe' (Mahod 1965)
(Monty Byers 1989)
MDB 'Blue Beret' (Earl Roberts 1967)
IB 'Langport Storm' (Kelways 1995)
(Paul Black 2008)
(P. Hutchison 1959)
(Chet Tompkins 1990)
(Schreiner 1970)
