June: Botanical Name – Iris ensata, Common Name – Japanese Water Iris

Iris ensata is a summer blossoming perennial plant with sword-like foliage and flower buds that form on the tips of 1- to 4-foot-tall stems. Buds open into flowers of many colors—purples, reds, blues, yellows, pinks and whites. Flowers can be flat or drooping; simple or ruffled in form. The Japanese Iris is native to Siberia and throughout Asia. Hanashōbu (Iris ensata) and kakitsubata (Iris laevigata) are water irises. Ayame (Iris sanguinea) grows on dry land. Over the last 500 years, many varieties were hybridized in Japan and around the world to enhance flower form, color, and plant hardiness—for indoor and garden presentations.

The iris is iconic in Japanese culture for its beauty and is revered in paintings, textiles, and woodblocks. Irises symbolize resilience. They suggest the famous scene from the 10th century anthology of poems, The Tales of Ise. Irises are depicted in literature and Haiku poetry and used in floral arrangements—ikebana and chabana. In ancient times, irises were planted in rice fields, as their bloom signaled when to transplant rice plants into the fields. The Iris Festival is celebrated from May through June in iris gardens.

Photo of I. ensata posted by pirl - Garden.org

In the Seattle Japanese Garden, our display of Iris ensata may be seen near the pond, waterfall, and zig-zag bridge. A 2020 planting included varieties: ‘Dewa Banri’ (photo right), ‘Exhuberent Chantey’, ‘Prairie Chief’, ‘Rainbow Darter’, and ‘Springtime Snow’ that you may see blossom in June.

Horikiri no hanashōbu. A. Hiroshige (1797-1858) (Horikiri iris garden). Woodcut print of I. ensata. Loc.gov

Nuance

Even the

Iris bends

When a butterfly

Lights upon

It.

— Amy Lowell (1874 – 1925) —