Inside the entrancing world of the once-forgotten Benton iris
What makes a Benton iris so special? The entrancing, delicate colours – slightly faded mauves, corals, pinks, lemons and ochres – and the plicata markings are certainly key to their appeal. And then there is their elegant shape, which is so distinctly different from the over-the-top frills of modern cultivars. For Sarah Cook, the plantswoman who has spent the past two decades hunting down and creating the national collection of these mid-century flowers, it is their ability to associate so well with other plants in the garden. But, undoubtedly, it is the compelling story behind them, too.
In 1940, the modernist painter and plantsman Cedric Morris moved to Benton End, a 16th-century house in Suffolk, along with his partner, fellow artist Arthur Lett-Haines. He relocated their East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing there, too, presiding over a rambunctious centre of art, food and horticulture until his death in 1982. In more recent times, Benton End has been acquired by Bridget and Rob Pinchbeck (whose Tuscan garden features in our June issue) and it is now managed by the Garden Museum.
A gifted colourist in both his art and horticulture, Cedric created an exuberant, naturalistic garden on the three-acre site and became a notable breeder of bearded iris, hybridising and raising 1,000 seedlings every year during the garden’s heyday in the 1940s and 1950s. He selected and introduced at least 90 new cultivars, immortalising their exquisite colours and forms in his canvases such as Iris Seedlings, 1943. And yet, by the turn of the century, that trail-blazing garden – and his irises – were all but forgotten.
In 2004, having retired from her role as head gardener at Sissinghurst, Sarah needed a new project. She grew up near Benton End, which she had visited as a child, and had recently returned to live in this patch of rural Suffolk. She also had a particular fondness for Cedric’s irises. When she had arrived for her first stint at Sissinghurst in 1984, feeling very nervous, the sight of the intense blue of ‘Benton Nigel’ had been a reassuring reminder of home. Now, two decades on, it was her husband Jim Marshall (who has his own national collection f Malmaison carnations) who provided early encouragement and a framework for her to track down the Benton irises. ‘Jim taught me how to make a national collection,’ says Sarah.
It began with meticulous research, which took her to the RHS Lindley Library as well as botanic gardens in Europe, in the US and further afield. She scoured registration books, sales catalogues and articles. As word got out she was hunting for Benton cultivars, she was given tip-offs. When she began her quest, only a few were commercially available. Some were discovered in botanic gardens (both ‘Ankaret’ and ‘Primrose’ were in Cambridge Botanic Garden), while others were found in private gardens in Switzerland, in Czechia and in the US.
Jim advised Sarah that getting the plants into a wholesale nursery was the best way to secure their future. David Howard took 10 rhizomes to trial in his Norfolk nursery. They did so well, he suggested using them in a garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2015. ‘That put them on the map,’ says Sarah of her gold-medal-winning garden. ‘Everyone wanted them.’
Eight years later, another Chelsea garden – designed by Sarah Price and also awarded a gold medal – brought these irises into the limelight again, proposing a rethink of how we plant them. ‘Cedric always gave his irises space to show them-selves off,’ says Sarah. ‘And Sarah did that really well. I think he’d have approved.’ Bringing the story full circle, plants from the 2023 Chelsea garden have been returned to Benton End, which is being restored by the Garden Museum and Pinchbeck Charitable Trust as a centre for horticulture, art and learning.
The national collection of Cedric Morris irises now includes 27 cultivars, with the irises being officially acknowledged and admired once again. Sarah thinks there is little chance of tracking down more, though she would love to find ‘Rubeo’ – named after Cedric’s pet macaw. ‘The ultimate aim of having the collection is to take it back out into the world and to secure its future for as long as possible,’ she explains. ‘The main thing now is to make sure everybody is growing them and to try to ensure they are going to last for another 50 years.’
1/6'Benton Edward Windsor’ was Morris’s first pink iris and was named for the then Prince of Wales.
2/6Inky ‘Benton Nigel’ takes its name from Nigel Scott, a nurseryman who became a friend and helped Morris with his iris cultivation after they met through Beth Chatto.
3/6Morris raffled his ‘second division’ irises to raise money for charity and ‘Benton Caramel’ was named by Kate Campbell, of The Abbey at Eye, who won it at a Benton End Red Cross Open Day.
4/6Benton Old Madrid’ is one of the elegant diploid irises bred by Morris.
5/6Olive Murrell, an iris nursery owner and fellow breeder, was the inspiration for ‘Benton Olive’.
6/6The markings of ‘Benton Blue John’ resemble the stone of the same name found in the Peak District.
