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Iris cristata 'Merle's Ruby'
Crested Iris
Plant Type:
SHADE PERENNIALSIris 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.
Characteristics and Attributes for Iris cristata 'Merle's Ruby'
Season of Interest (Flowering)
- Spring
Season of Interest (Foliage)
- Spring / Summer
Nature Attraction
- Honey Bees & Native Bees
Light
- Dappled Shade
- Morning Sun / Afternoon Shade
- Shade
Attributes
- Natural Garden
- Border
- Bank
- Drought Tolerant
- Edging
- Rock Garden
- Woodland
Growth Rate in the Garden
- Medium
Soil
- Fertile
- Draining
- Woodland
Origins
- Garden Origin
Propagated By
- Division
Genus Overview: Iris
Common Name: Iris
From small woodland species and tiny forms happy in a sunny trough to those that stretch to one's waist and higher irises are among the most beautiful and unique of herbaceous perennials. They come in an amazing array of colors with fans of foliage that provide textural contrast to other garden denizens long after the flowers have passed. None that we carry are especially common. All are beautiful in the full sun border with many adaptable to pond's edge. They want a home! Pot grown division unless otherwise indicated.