Zanthan Gardens
Plant Highlights: Iris ‘Alizes’

May 7th, 2005
Iris ‘Alizes’

Tall bearded iris ‘Alizes’. 2005-05-07. Austin, Texas. Zone 8.

In 2000, I bought three similar tall bearded irises: ‘Alizes’, ‘Strictly Ballroom‘, and ‘Altruist‘. The ‘Alizes’ were $6.00 each (actually $3.00 with Schreiner’s discount factored in). One characteristic that distinguishes ‘Alizes’ is the full, cupped shape of its brilliant white standards. (Warning: the Schreiner’s photo shows an unreal shade of bright blue, which it isn’t. ‘Alizes’ is a deep blue tending toward violet.)

Type: Tall Bearded
Color: Blue.
Style: Amoena.
Originator: Cayeux.
Year: 1989.
Height: 33″.
Bloom Season: Early to Mid Season;
Rebloom: N. ;
Catalog Description: “The classically arched standards are pure crystalline white. The broad rounded falls are a rich blue lightening to clean white at their centers. This lightly ruffled beauty with sparkling lemon beards is floriferous too, producing two or three stems per clump each having 5-6 buds.”

‘Alizes’ first bloomed the first spring of 2001, but then I had to move them in the fall of because of rot. They did not recover enough to bloom in 2002. However, I now have fifteen plants which are producing the best irises so far of the 2003 season. They have tall, thick scapes and large flowers. Of the three, I’d definitely recommend ‘Alizes’ for central Texas gardens. Plant them in a sunny, well-drained spot and don’t feed them during the hot weather.

Zanthan Gardens History

2001-04-17.
First flower. ‘Alizes’ is similar in color to ‘Strictly Ballroom’ but less flouncy in shape and a little smaller. It has white beards, rather than the blue beards of ‘Strictly Ballroom’ and it has a white splotch at the throat of the falls where ‘Strictly Ballroom’ deepens almost to plum.

2001-09-15.
Replanted 13 Alizes rhizomes that I had to dig up because of rot. They have soaked in bleach and dried out for a week or so.

2002.
Did not bloom.

2003-04-16.
First flower. There are now 15 rhizomes. Most are sending up flowering scapes. This year the plants are larger and the flowers are more substantial than ‘Strictly Ballroom’. The beards are mostly white, but yellow at the throat of the flower.

2004.
Did not bloom.

2005-05-07. First flower. Two flowers on a thin. medium-tall stalk.

Tall bearded iris ‘Alizes’
2003-04-17. Austin, Texas. Zone 8.

by M Sinclair Stevens