Iris ensata 'Variegata'
Luxuriant purple Japanese water iris
Grown by Jack
Hereford
Perfectly happy plants, or your money back
Specialist overnight plant delivery
The highlights
- Rich purple flowers with a golden eye
- Blooms from June to July
- Dramatic pond plant
- RHS Award of Garden Merit winner
Description
- Rich dark purple flowers with a golden eye
- Flowering from June to July
- Ideal for ponds and water gardens
- Can be grown in pots and borders
- Silvery foliage adds height and drama to your garden
- Irises are toxic if ingested
- RHS Award of Garden Merit winner
What To Expect
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How To Grow
Excellent pest and disease resistance
Iris plants are generally free from pests and diseases. If planted in water, be aware of root rot - to prevent this, make sure the water depth is no more than 15cm. If your pond edge is deeper, you may need to plant in pots. Keep an eye out for the Iris Sawfly - a pest whose larvae eat the foliage of waterside irises. They look like greyish-brown caterpillars up to 25mm long and initially eat v-shaped notches from the leaf margins before moving on to eat from the leaf tips downward. This isn't usually too serious and plants can recover, but it's a good idea to encourage predators like birds and ground beetles, as well as regularly inspecting plants during the growing season and removing any larvae by hand. If planted in a border or pots, slugs and snails may be a problem. For slugs and snails, it's important to keep the area around the plant free of debris and as dry as possible, especially at night as slugs and snails love damp conditions. You can use barriers such as eggshells or copper wire to surround the plant to prevent slugs and snails from reaching the leaves. It's also a good idea to spray your plant with water which has boiled some garlic in it for around two hours. For more serious slug and snail control, you can also use specific nematodes that will find the pests and cause them to die.
Water if planted in borders
Irises typically need moist soil so although those planted in ponds will not need extra watering, you will need to keep an eye on them if planted in beds and borders, making sure to water in dry or hot weather as required.
Full sun to partial shade
Irises prefer a position in full sun (6-8 hours of sunlight daily) but will also thrive in partial or dappled shade.
Fertile, moist, well drained soil
Irises are fans of moist (but not waterlogged), slightly acidic soil. They are well suited to planting at the edge of a pond or in a bog garden.
Feeding may be needed
No feeding is needed if you plant your irises straight into a mature pond due to the nutrient content of pond water. However, in a non-pond setting, it's a good idea to feed both before and after the blooming period using a slow release, granular general fertiliser.
Planting Calendar
- Best time to plant
- Harvest
- Flower
Hereford
Meet Jack
Perennials born in Herefordshire, blooming in your garden
Our perennials start life in the rolling Herefordshire hills, where Jack and his team trial over 250 new varieties each year to bring you the best performing and most sustainable plants in the UK. With over forty years of excellence, it’s no surprise that they’ve won the HTA Plant Grower of the Year award two years running.
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Growing with Roots
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Our plants are grown in the UK
Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that they’ll grow strong and well shaped.
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Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box that’s specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within 24 hours.
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We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team of experts.
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