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Copper Iris

Iris fulva

Copper iris is the only iris in North America flowering in this color range — a genuine coppery orange to brick red that reads as terracotta at a distance and belongs to no other native species. Its falls and standards all droop outward rather than standing up, giving the flower a flattened, open shape quite unlike the classic iris silhouette. It grows in the wet muck of Gulf Coast swamps, bayou edges and roadside ditches, and it will grow in standing water a few inches deep. Hummingbirds work it, unusual for an iris and the reason for the color. It spreads by thick rhizomes lying at the soil surface into wide colonies, and it is easy to divide and move while dormant. It hybridizes readily with the other Louisiana irises, and most garden plants sold under that name carry its blood.

Family

Iridaceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

2–3 ft

Spacing

1–2 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade

Soil moisture

moist, wet

Soil pH

acidic, neutral, alkaline

Bloom

March, April, May

Bloom colors

red, orange, yellow

Wildlife value

hummingbirds, pollinators

Landscape uses

border, rain garden, erosion control, naturalizing

Native states

AL, AR, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, OH, TN, TX