Peacock Iris

Stunning white flowers with an iridescent blue pattern. From established bulbs, a single stem produces a succession of flowers over a few weeks, each lasting around three days.

Each petal has intense colouring, just like the eye of a peacock feather overlaid on a white background. The Peacock Iris flowers are around 5cm across. The underside of the petals are covered in decorative blue freckles. From all angles they are really fine-looking blooms. The beneficial insects for whom the colouring was developed thing so too!

A popular but hard to find bulb, Moreaeas are actually pretty easy to grow, and best left in the ground to naturalise. The leaf and flowers emerge winter to spring and are then dormant through summer. The flower stems grow 15-35cm tall.

Plant Peacock Iris in moderately rich soil, sandy or clay soils are suitable. Plant 3cm deep. Grow in full sun to light afternoon shade. Water in and keep moist during active growth (winter to spring) and relatively dry during dormancy (too much wet in summer can cause fungal rot). They are South African natives and hardier than their delicate exterior would suggest.

Our tip, keep an eye out for the new growth, drying out during the start of their season is the biggest cause of failure, especially in pots. If you experience a dry August it is best to water.

In pots it is most ideal to repot annually. The corm gravitates towards the base of the container and once there is less likely to bloom so it is best to refresh them each spring once the leaf dies back. Tall/deep containers are best.

Moraea aristata is commonly known as Peacock Iris, Blue Eyed Moraea or Butterfly Iris. Syn. Moraea glaucopsis.

Supplied as: Bulbs
Size: na