POSITIF

If you liked "Badlands" and "Black Suited", you will no-doubt also be attracted to their slightly lighter-coloured but taller offspring, with its violet-leaning-towards-black standards of glistening satin. Plentifully branched stalks gracefully carry 9 or so superbly shaped ruffled flowers... A "full house", wouldn't you say?

The cross "Chevalier de Malte" with "Conjuration" has given us many good seedlings, "Aurélie" is one of them. It has white standards with lavender on their edges and flaring purple-violet falls with a large white centre. The thick red beard ends in a white spur. Well-branched stalks. Winner at the Florence iris competition in 2007.

"Paul Black" and "Alpenview" are the proud parents of this astonishing inversed amoena and its majestic 15 cm by 15 cm flower which is dedicated to Villa Erba, residence of the famous Italian film-director, Luchino Visconti. The magnificent wisteria-blue standards are darker at the centre, whilst the large bluish-white falls are elegantly undulated with ruffles. The mandarin-coloured beards of this really vigorous and fragrant new variety have lighter tips.

Great clear to mid blue self with just a small white area under the white beards. Though not new, much interesting with 10 to 14 flowers per stem and the Dykes Medal in 1984.

Wonderfully shaped, amply ruffled pinkish lavender. Wide falls, slightly paler toward the centre. Beards are tangerine toward red. A classic tone but with a quality finishing. Really a useful tone in our gardens! (Cayeux seedling 10 355 A)