BEST BET BEARDED IRIS

Iris germanica 'Best Bet' is also more commonly known as Best Bet Bearded Iris. It is highly valued in the garden for its striking bi-color blooms and reliable reblooming nature, providing color over an extended season. This award-winning variety stands approximately 36 inches tall, featuring large, gently ruffled flowers with silvery or light blue standards (upright petals) gracefully held above deep blue falls (dropping petals). A cheerful yellow beard is centered on each fall, adding a point of contrast to the saturated blue and purple tones. 'Best Bet' Bearded Iris typically flowers in late spring to early summer, but its reblooming characteristic allows it to produce a second flush of blooms in late summer or early fall, making it an excellent choice for borders and cutting gardens where prolonged visual impact is desired.

To thrive, 'Best Bet', like all Tall Bearded Irises, requires well-drained soil and a location that receives full sun, ideally six or more hours per day, to maximize both flowering and disease resistance. The rhizomes, which are the food-storing roots, should be planted shallowly—with the tops visible or just barely covered—as burying them too deep is a common mistake that prevents flowering and can lead to soft rot.