Mariposa Skies represents a very popular, quite formal type of Bearded Iris. The hybridizer has managed to keep the top set of petals pure white, while the falls are solid blue. There is no mixing of the two colors. This is master hybridizing, and the result is an elegant, stand-out flower.

Growing Bearded Irises These majestic flowers are surprisingly easy to grow, and actually require less attention than almost any other garden flowers. Your iris roots will arrive with the foliage "trimmed" from this spring's growth. You'll find the "root" is not really a bulb, but what is called a "rhizome"--an irregularly shaped bulbous root that grows at a right angle from the foliage. Leave the trimmed foliage as it is, and simply bury the rhizome with the top of it showing through the soil surface. Bearded irises grow best with the tops of their rhizomes exposed.

Next spring, new foliage and the flower spikes will sprout strongly from the rhizome. What's more, next summer, you'll notice the rhizome multiplying for even more flowers as years go by.