dalmatian iris
Iris pallida
USDA zones5 to 9
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size2 to 3 feet tall18 to 24 inches wide
- Habit
- Clumping
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- Pale lavender blue
- Foliage color
- Gray/silver, green, variegated
- Soil types
- Sand, loam
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Dalmatian iris (Iris pallida) is a perennial for borders, cottage gardens, and rock gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full or part sun and dry to moist, sandy or loamy soil. Pale lavender blue flowers are fragrant and bloom in spring and again in summer. Bees and butterflies visit them, and the gray green leaves form a tidy drought tolerant clump. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal.
Pairs well with Karl Foerster feather reed grass, Blazing star, Ornamental onion, and Irish moss.
Native range
Eastern Mediterranean.