Description

Iris hollandica Discovery is a bold, dependable Dutch Iris, celebrated for its rich royal-purple petals and distinctive golden-yellow signal mark that glows like sunlight against the violet backdrop. Flowering in early to mid-summer, this cultivar bridges the gap between spring-flowering bulbs and the height of summer perennials, bringing vibrant structure and colour to beds, borders, and professional landscape plantings. Its flowers stand tall and proud on elegant stems, each bloom composed of velvety, arching falls and upright standards that create the classic “orchid-like” Iris silhouette.

Discovery is perfectly proportioned for both mixed borders and large-scale mass plantings, where its deep purple tones add contrast and definition. In Ireland’s maritime climate, it performs particularly well — thriving in sunny, free-draining soils but tolerating light clay and mixed loams provided they don’t become waterlogged in winter. The narrow, sword-like foliage adds vertical texture even before flowering, providing early structure in the planting scheme.

Though not highly scented, Iris Discovery offers excellent biodiversity value, attracting bees, hoverflies, and pollinating insects that are drawn to its open, accessible form. The bright yellow “landing signal” acts as a natural guide for pollinators, making it a valuable nectar source at a time when many late-spring tulips have finished flowering. Planting it alongside other nectar-rich bulbs like Allium Purple Sensation, Camassia leichtlinii caerulea, or Nectaroscordum siculum creates a layered, ecologically supportive planting design that benefits wildlife while extending colour right through early summer.

For landscaping and design, Discovery is an exceptional choice. In formal beds, its vertical form and jewel-toned blooms add precision and richness; in mixed herbaceous borders, it blends beautifully with soft pink peonies, silver foliage plants, or ornamental grasses. It performs equally well in public landscapes, hotel grounds, civic beds, and private gardens, bringing reliable structure and colour contrast to mid-season displays.

Plant bulbs in autumn (September–November) at a depth of 10–12 cm in a sunny, well-drained position. A sandy or gritty soil texture ensures longevity and reduces bulb rot in wet winters. Once established, Discovery naturalises gently, forming perennial clumps that return reliably each year. With minimal care, it brings a consistent display of deep purple elegance and pollinator activity to Irish gardens season after season.