It is a busy time in the garden with lots to plant out and so many weeds to hoe off. It is so busy that I have to make sure I stop and look at all the flowers opening and especially the iris. At the moment just the earliest are blooming so it is easy to keep up and the first of the yellows is ‘Neutron Dance’. This is an Australian hybrid bred by Barry Blyth (‘Alpine Journey’ x ‘Beachgirl’ ) and, by today’s standards, quite an old iris, being introduced in 1987. As such the flower is not huge or deeply ruffled but I do like the classic shape. I also love the colours.

This pattern is know as an ‘amoena’, meaning that the ‘falls’ are one colour and the ‘standards’ are white. The colours are quite crisp and distinct although, despite some descriptions, not pure white but brushed with yellow. It is a tall bearded iris, growing to about 85cm high and has up to 8 buds per stem. Lists often say that the flowers have no scent but they certainly do and I was quite struck by the nice perfume. The flowers actually look brighter in the garden than these photos suggest which seem to show the falls as being a bit mustardy. It is a good grower and has done well in the past two years.

Geoff’s rating

9/10

Garden rating

9/10

amoena, barry blyth, iris neutron dance, yellow iris