Iris
Iris spp.
📖 About this plant
An elegant perennial producing intricate, often fragrant flowers in a rainbow of colors. Bearded iris are the most popular garden type, featuring ruffled falls and upright standards. Siberian iris offer graceful, slender foliage and delicate flowers. Dutch iris are grown from bulbs for cut flowers. Iris flowers feature a distinctive structure with three upright petals (standards) and three drooping petals (falls).
🧑🌾 Care requirements
Full sun (6+ hrs)
Every 1-2 weeks
Low to moderate (30-50%)
10-28°C
Well-draining soil; bearded iris prefer neutral to slightly alkaline pH 6.5-7.0; Siberian iris prefer acidic pH 5.5-6.5. Rhizomes must sit at or slightly above soil surface
Low-nitrogen fertilizer (6-10-10) in early spring and again after flowering; avoid high-nitrogen which promotes soft rot; bonemeal works well at planting
🌐 Common Names
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America
- 📏 Max height
- 30-120 cm depending on species
- 📐 Spread
- 30-60 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring - Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Purple, Blue, Yellow, White
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green, Sword-shaped
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Mildly toxic — rhizomes contain iridin (irisin) and other irritating compounds that cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea if ingested; skin contact with rhizomes can cause dermatitis
- 🌱 Propagation
- Divide bearded iris rhizomes every 3-4 years in late summer; cut rhizomes into sections each with a fan of leaves and roots; replant with rhizome partially exposed; Siberian iris can be divided in spring or fall
🛡️ Health & Safety
Mildly toxic — rhizomes contain iridin (irisin) and other irritating compounds that cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea if ingested; skin contact with rhizomes can cause dermatitis
Common issues
- Iris borer larvae tunneling in rhizomes
- Bacterial soft rot from overwatering or damaged rhizomes
- Fungal leaf spot
- Poor flowering from overcrowding or planting rhizomes too deep
💡 Care tips
- Elegant sword-shaped foliage and striking ruffled flowers
- Plant rhizomes shallowly with the top exposed to sunlight
- Do not mulch over the rhizomes as they need to dry out
- Divide clumps every 3-4 years after flowering finishes
