Multi Colored Iris Blossoms - A Gallery

Bearded irises come in so many colors to begin with, but the multi-colored varieties are extremely eyecatching! Some have the appearance of a couple of colors, but upon closer inspection one can see there are many more hues or shades to count in just one bloom. Gorgeous, artistic stars in Spring gardens, is what they are! The more I see and learn about them, the more I love them.

Basic Facts on Iris

* Did you know that bearded irises can range in height, from 3 inches tall to 4 feet tall? The shorter ones are dwarf iris flowers. There is an intermediate group that range from one to two feet tall.

* Bearded iris are the most commonly grown (Or planted, more accurately) iris in the United States. As easy and beautiful as they can be, I can see why!

The multi-colored bearded irises you see here are all likely hybridized varieties. The flowers range from purple , yellow, white and blue, to every conceivable color in between those.

* As you can see from my photos in this hub, many of these lovely irises have ruffled edges to their petals. Often they include a draping set of 3 outer sepals which are also called falls. One can see why, when you just look at them.

Photos of Multi-Colored Bearded Irises

Below, I am going to just touch on which irises in this hub are among my favorite and why. In some ways, they are all my favorite, especially once established in a garden, as they can be so easy.

Photo 1 - This one is one of my all time favorites. Party, this is due to the amazing uniqueness of the colors! Its like a deep rich peach or apricot color, paired with a kind of deep grape or cranberry color. Its shades vary some and in different light, but its always a winner to me.

Photo 2 - This iris has like a peach/pink color on the top of the petals, with a lavender/purple color on the bottom. Very smooth transition of color throughout that is pleasing to the eye, in my opinion.

Photo 3 - This photo is a bright yellow paired with a very dark burgundy wine color. Its absolutely lovely to me.

Photo 4 - This photo shows several different multi-colored iris together. I like it because it shows how well they compliment each other in the garden.

Photo 5 - This one shows a light lavender, with a deep rich dark purple, and a golden yellow "beard" portion on the flower petals.

Photos 6 - 9 - These have varying different colors among the bearded Iris, multiples of the multi colors, if you will. Photo 7 for example, is a lovely example of creamy yellow and white going together very beautifully, while among others.

Photo 10 - This is lovely, it has purple, white and what I will call a paler dirty light yellow color. Don't let the name fool you, its lovely up close and hard to describe even.

Photo 11 - This is a chocolate brown color for iris. Within that, are varying shades and a yellow or golden interior in parts.

Photo 12 - This grouping may be my favorite in this hub, for groups of different colored multi-colored irises. (Not trying to be repetitive there.) The purples, lavenders, pinks, and whites really are so beautiful together.

Photo 13 - This one rivals for an almost favorite as well. I like how the light shines through the upper, lighter portions of the iris.

Photo 14 - This is just another example of many grouped together. If I can focus on anything here, it would be the yellow and purple irises. The colors together in one iris are just wonderful.

Photo 15 - This iris has not only a beautiful pattern or design, but the tri colored iris is stunning with white, golden yellow and pink or purple edging.

Basic Care

My irises that have been the most "happy" and thriving, have been those that are planted almost just sitting on top of the soil. The roots want to go deep on their own it seems. Once they are established, the care is minimal to none, in my experience. They have a way of multiplying on their own which is a great joy. One thing they don't seem to like is getting overcrowded. You will know this is happening if their blooms seem to decrease, and its been a while since you separated out the rhizomes.

Many of the irises shown in here have been specially cultivated to help create some of the amazing colors and color combinations you see. I don't know how they do it exactly, but there is a science to it that helps to create what you see. What is so neat in part, is that nature still has her own way with flowers when people try to change things up a little bit and mix things up. You often get a very lovely result. Who knew you could get all of this variegation from the different colors of iris. Much of it is natural of course, I just wish I knew which was which and could tell you.

I have seen my Aunt just shake off the dirt, and break them apart. They are tough little flowers! You can pass them on to friends and family too, and know that you are helping your own when you share them and give them away.

**Thank you for touring the iris garden with me. Hope you saw something that caught your eye.