Description
Northern Blue Flag Iris is a marginal deciduous perennial with a clumping habit. The long blue-green sword-like foliage is erect and lightly arched. Long sturdy stalks grow from the center of the plant and are topped with soft bluish-purple flowers with deep purple veining and a central yellow splotch surrounded by a white zone in summer, attracting bees. Grows best in rich, slightly acidic, moist to wet water-retentive soils.
Iris versicolor is pollinated by various types of bees but is still a good food source for butterflies and highly attractive to hummingbirds.
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Type: |
Perennial |
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Origins: |
Northeast US and Canada |
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Height: |
2′ – 2.5′ |
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Spread: |
2’ – 2.5′ |
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Spacing: |
2’ |
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USDA Hardiness Zone: |
3 – 9 |
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Culture: |
Full Sun, Part Sun |
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Bloom Color: |
Purple |
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Season of Interest: |
Summer, Fall |
MAINTENANCE NEEDS: Medium Maintenance. Water regularly, then occasionally once established. Can cut back any dying foliage after flowering. In winter, it is intolerant of wet or boggy soils- the roots may rot- move to dryer ground for fall and winter.
LANDSCAPE USES: Accents or Group Plantings, Borders, Woodland Gardens, Water Gardens, Ponds and Streams, Naturalized Areas, Foundation Plantings, and Containers.
COMPANION PLANTS: Joe Pye Weed, Spiderwort, Turtlehead
IMAGES: Photo by Bob Gutowski, Iris versicolor, (2) Photo by John Munt, blue-flag-iris, (3) Jean-Pierre Guillet, Iris versicolor au parc national du Bic, CC BY-SA 4.0, (4) Ryan Hodnett, Northern Blue Flag (Iris versicolor) – Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, CC BY-SA 4.0, (5) PantaRhei, Feldberg (Schwarzwald) – Naturschutzgebiet Feldberg (Black Forest) – Bild 3 Feldsee, CC BY-SA 4.0
*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.
