Description
The parent species, Iris hoogiana, is the easiest of all of the Regelia species to both grow and flower. Up to three, 10 cm wide, soft violet flowers with a superb fragrance of Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria), in May.
The original horticultural stocks of this were raised from a collection made by Paul Graeber in the Pamirs, in 1913 and originally acquired by the Hoog family. In the stock the grandson of the original importers, Antoine, noticed a substantially taller mutant form and propagated it. This is Thermodosa, which is taller, with a paler blue flower than they type and it has a white beard, rather than the usual yellow beard. It is thought to be a selection of pure I.hoogiana rather than a hybrid. It also bears the undiluted, delicious light, sweet scent of hoogiana. Incidentally, Thermodosa was one of the Amazons, who fought with their queen, Penthesilia, during the Trojan Wars.
Happy in a well-drained, loam based soil or compost and growable outside in the right situation, given sun and a freedom from too much water when summer-dormant and especially during winter.
Introduced to our lists March 2022
