Welcome to the website of the Group for Beardless Irises of the British Iris Society. On our pages you will find out about the types of irises we grow and hopefully as the site develops we will be able to illustrate more of their beauty which can be breathtaking. Please take a look at our picture gallery. For many people, the name iris is considered synonymous with Tall Bearded Iris. But there are many other species and hybrids without a beard which can be often be more easily accommodated in the average garden. The most well known is the Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) which can be planted in a more natural style that the tall bearded and does not suffer from dormancy after its flowering period. A brief outline of the Beardless Irises can be found here, and more detailed information will be added in future months for those who seek it. Many members have come to the Group after growing irises for a number of years and gradually becoming more interested. One easy way to start, is to look at our Seed List where seed is available inexpensively. It usually germinates reliably and most of the seedlings will grow into plants worthy of any garden. As people learn more they may become interested in hybridising. This is where pollen of two parent irises is crossed with the intention of obtaining improved seedlings. The improvement may be a colour form, such as a good red or a mottled pattern, but other improvements are often sought, such as ruffled flowers, reblooming, miniatures etc. One particularly exciting aspect at present is the development of interspecies crosses. These crosses have been known for a long time between irises with the same number of chromosomes, in fact the first British Dykes Medal was won in 1927 by 'Margot Holmes', a cross between a Siberian and a Pacific Coast iris. Crosses between irises with different numbers of chromosomes was until relatively recently considered impossible. Such crosses are improbable, but not impossible and as people have tried harder in this area, more and more successes have been reported. This is leading to a plethora of new iris names, eg Iris pseudata which comes from crossing Iris pseudacorus with Iris ensata. The history of introducing the iris species and their hybrids is itself fascinating and members often end up with some historic varieties most of which are still good garden plants. It has the valuable added benefit of keeping these irises in existence. Members of the group will also be growing some of the latest modern cultivars and this is often a good source of obtaining cultivars which are not readily available elsewhere. For detail of the Group and membership, please see our information page. Thank you for visiting our site, we hope you have found it useful. If you have any comments for its improvement, we will be pleased to here from you (email:alun@britishirissociety.org.uk). Home