Purple Flame Blue Flag Iris is a marginal deciduous perennial with a clumping habit and long, lightly arched green sword-like foliage that emerges bold purple. Long sturdy stalks grow from the center of the plant and are topped with soft bluish-purple flowers with a central yellow splotch surrounded by a white zone from late spring into 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:
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Perennial
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Origins:
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Northeast US and Canada
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Height:
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2' - 3'
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Spread:
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1.5’ - 2'
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Spacing:
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2’
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USDA Hardiness Zone:
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3 - 9
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Culture:
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Full Sun, Part Sun
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Bloom Color:
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Purple
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Season of Interest:
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Summer, Fall
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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: Proven Winners, versicolor 'Purple Flame', (2) Mt. Cuba Center, Purple Flame blue flag (Iris versicolor ‘Purple Flame’)
*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.
