Iris unguicularis Butt Not
Iris unguicularis ‘Butt Not’ is a free-flowering seedling from the well-known winter blooming Iris ‘Walter Butt’. The original Iris ‘Walter Butt’ was a selection that Somerset, UK, plantsman Walter Butt (1872-1953) grew from a friend’s collection near Algiers, Algeria. Iris ‘Walter Butt’ was subsequently named and introduced around 1950 by UK plantsman E. B. Anderson after he purchased Butt’s property. Our plant came to us as Iris ‘Walter Butt’, but doesn’t quite match pictures of the original plant…we think this is actually better. The flowers on this early-season selection of winter-blooming iris are a light blue with a prominent yellow eyezone and a small darker purple blush at the tip of each eyezone. We like to cut our Iris unguicularis to the ground in mid-October to make the delicious floral honey-scented flowers more visible.
