blue flag
Iris versicolor
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles moist to wet soil
Size2 to 2.5 feet tall2 to 2.5 feet wide
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Violet blue
- Foliage color
- Blue, green
- Soil types
- Loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Blue flag (Iris versicolor) is a perennial for borders, meadows, and low maintenance gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and moist to wet, loamy or clay soil. Violet blue flowers with veined, yellow-marked sepals rise on sturdy stalks above sword-like leaves. Deer tend to pass it by. It spreads by self-seeding and by its rhizomes, so give it room.
Pairs well with Lupine, Gentian, and Kentucky bluegrass.
Native range
Northeastern North America.