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Iris cristata 'Merle's Ruby' - Crested Iris from Quackin Grass Nursery

Iris cristata 'Merle's Ruby' - An unusually-colored Crested Iris in red-violet than the more usual blue to purple shades. The white signal contrasts beautifully. The red-violet is evident but more an undertone. Vigorous, it blooms with fecundity. 'Merle's Ruby' as with all Crested Iris will gradually attempt colonization; in several years a lovely mat between 12 and 18 inches will have formed with irises standing approximately 6 inches tall in spring. Found in the wild by a woman named Merle in North Carolina she offered it to a friend of hers coincidentally also named Merle. It was shared with a local nursery and found its way into the hands of gardeners with an eye for the different and worthy. It was finally registered by Jan Sacks and Marty Schafer. We're happy to be able to offer this Crested Iris of a different color. If it is your bent plant it with whites, blues and purples for a fresh spring tapestry. Fertile, draining woodland soil and a little duff covering the surface rhizomes in part shade. Established potted Crested Iris from division.