Dutch Iris 'Lemon Shark'

Iris 'Lemon Shark' brings a deliciously sharp little twist to early-summer planting, opening elegant blooms with cool white standards above creamy, lemon-yellow falls. Those falls are the clever bit: frilled, deeply serrated and marked with a warm orange-yellow flare that seems to catch every stray shaft of sunshine. The effect is crisp, bright and faintly theatrical, but never shouty. Iris 'Lemon Shark' has the polished poise of a classic Dutch iris, with just enough ruffle to make visitors look twice. Planted in groups, Iris 'Lemon Shark' creates a fresh, lively rhythm through borders, gravel gardens and naturalised drifts, pairing beautifully with airy grasses, alliums and late spring perennials.

As easy-going as it is elegant, Iris 'Lemon Shark' asks very little once settled into well-drained soil and a sunny position. Its slender stems are excellent for cutting, where the white and citrus-yellow colouring looks wonderfully clean in a vase, particularly with blue, green or soft apricot companions. In the garden, Iris 'Lemon Shark' offers that valuable bridge between the last flourish of spring bulbs and the fuller mood of summer, bringing height without heaviness and colour without clutter. Plant Iris 'Lemon Shark' where its fringed falls can be admired close up, because details this good deserve more than a passing glance.