Bewitching Twilight

Bewitching Twilight is one of the most decorated Japanese irises in cultivation. Six or more broad falls open on a white ground, heavily brushed with light blue that softens to pastel toward the edges — the effect is less like a solid color than like watercolor washed across silk. A yellow signal sits at the center of each fall, sending veins radiating halfway down the petal. The style arms are a heavy cream yellow that lifts the whole flower.

Registered by Chad Harris of Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm in 1999 and introduced by Aitken's Salmon Creek Garden in 2000. It earned an Honorable Mention in 2005, an Award of Merit in 2009, and in 2013 took the Payne Medal — the highest award the American Iris Society gives a Japanese iris.

A tall grower at 41 inches with midseason bloom, carrying 2–4 buds per stem. A cross of 'Knight in Armor' × a Marx seedling.

Japanese irises want moisture, especially through spring bloom season, and slightly acidic soil — they won't tolerate lime. Full sun gives the best performance. Hardy in zones 4–8.