Iris laevigata - Water Iris

Iris laevigata, also known as Japanese water iris, is a botanical species of marshy areas, which forms beautiful masses of blue-violet flowers in spring in small groups at the top of tall stems. Precious flowers, with erect petals and wider, trailing sepals, bloom above a bright green mass of slightly stiff, large leaves. This very hardy perennial is a beautiful plant for riverbanks, and can also spend the year with its feet in shallow water. Like all wild irises, it requires space to express its full potential.

Iris laevigata is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the large family of irises and classified in the section of beardless irises. It is native to Japan like its close relative, Iris ensata, but has slightly smaller and more delicate flowers. It is also easier to grow because it tolerates the immersion of its rhizomes throughout the year. Iris laevigata possesses beauty and grace, which has earned it centuries of cultivation for bouquets in its country of origin, and immortalization in Japanese prints.

The plant forms a dense tuft of linear foliage, with an upright habit from spring, which will reach 50 to 80 cm (20 to 32in) high when in flower and spread without a theoretical limit. It flowers from May-June to July, depending on the climate, with floral stems above the foliage, each carrying 2 to 4 flowers 8 cm (3in) wide at their tip. Each flower is composed of 3 narrow, vertical blue-violet to lavender petals, above 3 larger sepals of the same tone, with a yellow crest in the middle, extended by a small white mark. The long, deciduous leaves are a beautiful bright green without prominent veins.

This iris will thrive in the sun, in heavy, clayey soil, without limestone. It can be planted in large masses on the banks of a pond, in flooded soil, or in large perforated pots submerged under water. It pairs well with aquatic plants with yellow flowers like Caltha palustris 'Multiplex', Equisetum, and other irises like 'Dark Aura' with purple foliage. Veronica beccabunga, a small trailing plant that quickly covers the banks, will decorate the edges of the pond with its pretty little blue flowers.