Preferences:

This is a horticultural perennial that stands 2' to 4' tall.

It prefers full sun and a well drained neutral soil are essential. Good drainage will aid in preventing soft rot which is more prevalent in over hybridized plants. Sun will promote flowering.

Cultural Practices:

Propagation - From seed cold wet stratification for 4 - 6 weeks. Barely cover the seeds while sowing at 12 - 18 degrees C for 30 - 90 days. Division of the rhizomes after flowering is the normal method. The rhizomes are separated into segments with one set of leaves in a fan and several feeding roots. These are set 1" deep, the leaves are cut back to 6", and the foliage should face outward away from the centre of the grouping. You should be able to just see the top of the rhizome (root).

Landscape Value:

These plants are standards and are found in most garden designs. There are many different species with thousands of cultivars. Each with rich colours and many with strong perfumes.

Other Species

Iris pumila - dwarf species that generally flower in mid spring. Extremely hardy and are great in the fore ground of the garden.

Iris pallida - variegated variety with soft blue flowers. The variegated leaves stand out strong in the garden. A little more difficult to find in the garden centres but well worth a try

Iris sibirica - tall and grassy this is extremely hardy. Zero problems of any kind. They have thin iris flowers. I generally recommend this one for novice gardens.