Iris ensata ‘Electric Rays’ is a spectacular plant with dark purple-blue flowers that enjoys being in a boggy spot around a pond.
Showy flowers flatten out to form large, ruffled ‘helicopter landing pads’ for pond insects. Yellow flashes around the throat and a pattern of streaky white highlights help guide in pollinators and add to the flower’s beauty.
My pictures of Lincolnshire Pond Plants’ award-winning display were taken in a plant marquee at one of this year’s flower shows. Outdoors, I think the flowers would look a touch bluer.
Part of the fun of the shows is the chance to see unusual plants up close at their peak of flowering – in this case, without needing waders! The blooms struck me as being the iris versions of dinnerplate dahlias.
Shared for Cee’s Flower of the Day.
Susan Rushton 
That plant is new to me. It has a really pretty color.
I struggled to get the colour right, but it is there or thereabouts.
I love the colour, it’s very pretty 🙂
I’m glad you liked them.
Beautiful.
Thank you!
You had me at dinner plate..
They were spectacular. A massive drift would be quite some sight!
Absolutely! More is MORE.
What a lovely colour
I thought so too.
There is a ballet quality to those edges, and I am confused about what to admire! So beautiful in markings and in form. Somehow the word “bog” seems incongruous, but that shows how much I have to learn. This morning here is grey and drippy and so this iris spectacle is especially welcome. Thanks!
They are not bog-standard, that’s for sure.
Well framed
Thanks, Derrick.
What beauties! They look like little saucers just waiting to be scooped up.
They could, I suppose, be alien flying saucers that landed on the edge of the water. A fleet of them. I didn’t make the connection until reading your comment.
Beautiful 😀 😀
Thanks, Cee.
So unusual!
I can’t remember seeing them outside anywhere, but will be looking from now on.
🤗💜
They are fabulous Susan 🙂
Thanks, Brian.
Thinking about changing my name to Electric Rays. So much passion in these flowers!
Thanks for your comment, Electric. You did go ahead with it, didn’t you?
Oh, you know it! Electric Rays in the house!