Iris ensata Stippled Ripples - Japanese Water Iris

Iris Ensata 'Stippled Ripples' has white flowers, speckled with violet, highlighted with a fine amethyst edge on the petal border. They bloom in late summer, reaching over a metre in height.

Also known as Japanese Iris, Iris ensata is nothing like our classic garden irises. They thrive in moist to wet soils. The 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) diameter flowers consist of 3 large flattened sepals topped with 3 thinner petals.

Often grown on the banks of ponds and basins, Iris ensata, like many marsh plants, can have their "feet" in the water during the summer but don't tolerate being submerged during winter, especially if it's freezing. Plant them in heavy soil forming a slight depression, at the bottom of a slope or on a bank where the soil becomes moist through capillarity.

Grow Iris ensata in moist soil alongside Astilbes, royal ferns, and Ligularias.