Fascination

Fascination has been growing in gardens for nearly a hundred years. Introduced by John Childs in 1926, it's the oldest variety in our collection and a genuine piece of iris history — six blue violet falls, each opening to a white central zone with white veins radiating outward and a yellow signal at the base.

That it's still grown and sold today, a century on, says something. Plenty of modern introductions won't last a decade in the trade; this one has outlived its own hybridizer and remains worth a place in the garden. The Society for Japanese Irises formally registered it in 1993 to preserve it in the record. A 1928 nursery catalog listed it at forty cents a plant.

Standing 36 inches with midseason bloom. (Not to be confused with the tall bearded iris of the same name — this is the Japanese iris.)

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.