Tall Bearded Iris 'Art Deco': A 1997 Schreiner Geometric

Tall Bearded Iris 'Art Deco'

Hybridized by Schreiner and introduced in 1997, Iris 'Art Deco' bears the name of the iconic 1920s–30s design movement—geometric, luxurious, streamlined, and modern. This late 1990s Schreiner introduction likely translates Art Deco aesthetics into floral form: bold patterns, clean lines, and sophisticated color geometry.

Botanical Classification

• Family: Iridaceae (eye-rid-AY-see-ee)
• Genus: Iris (EYE-ris)
• Cultivar: 'Art Deco'
• Type: Tall Bearded Iris (TB)

Schreiner's Pattern Mastery

Schreiner's late 1990s program excelled in patterned TBs: plicatas with precise stitching, luminatas with clean veining, broken colors with deliberate distribution. 'Art Deco' (1997) likely showcases geometric patterning: perhaps a plicata with sharp, regular margins; a luminata with architectural veining; or a broken color with blocky, structured markings. The name promises design intention in every petal.

Form and Color

1997 Schreiner TB: state of the art—broad, heavily laced/ruffled falls; 4 branches; 11+ buds; exceptional substance. Colors might reflect the Deco palette: black and gold, silver and jade, coral and ebony, or monochromatic gradients. The geometric patterning would be most visible in bright light, where the "architecture" of the flower reads clearly.

Garden Design

'Art Deco' belongs in a designed space: formal borders, geometric beds, modernist landscapes. Pair with architectural plants (yuccas, ornamental grasses, clipped boxwood). Standard Schreiner TB culture. Divide every 3–4 years. A cultivar that brings the Jazz Age's visual language into the 21st-century garden—a floral flapper in a border of Victorians.