Tall Bearded Iris LILAC WINE

'Lilac Wine' is an unusual colour spectacle that carries well in the garden. Standards are a silvery lilac tone and are highlighted with bronzy beige toned midribs, falls are a dark ruby plum red, yellow tipped beard completes the harmony. Blooms are well formed and lightly ruffled and are carried on 90 cm spikes with 6 to 8 buds from early to mid season. Growth, health and vigour are good, increase is average. This 36 year old  sometimes flowers too early for the show-bench which is not really a big bump in the road is it?

The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1982,  “Varietal comments on Australian T.B. Irises”,  page 63, C.E.C. Bartlett.
Cy Bartlett writes about a range of Australian raised Tall Bearded irises and how they performed in Somerset.
Lilac Wine (Blyth, 77) This Iris has silvery lilac standards and velvety plum red falls with yellow beards. Its growth habits, branching and bud count are reasonable. There are several varieties of this colour combination available but what makes this Iris noteworthy is its earliness.

IRISES A Gardener's Encyclopedia, Claire Austin
Iris 'Lilac Wine'  (Blyth, 77) the velvety, deep red brown falls have deeper brown veins. Above the falls sit pale lilac standards that our heavily flashed with beige. The beards are yellow, and the flower is scented. Height 91 cm (36½ inches). Bloom early to midseason. Parentage (Barcelona x Outer Limits) X (Snowlight x Visionary sibling)

AIS 1979 Checklist
LILAC WINE    (B. Blyth, R. 1977). Sdlg. J78-4. TB 36" (91 cm) E-M.     S. lilac, deepening to beige at midribs; F. velvety plum red; lemon yellow beard. (Barcelona x Outer Limits) X (Snowlight x Visionary sib)., Tempo Two 1977/78.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.
Photo credit and copyright Iris Hunter.