Do you know where to plant different species of Irises? There are many varieties and it can be confusing so :
Varieties of Iris laevigata, Iris pseudacorus, Iris versicolor and the Louisiana Iris will all sit on the shelf in a pond with water over the crown of the plant.
Iris pseudacorus varieties will take more water than the others . Check in the 'planting details' for each plant type because pseudacorus, versicolor and Louisiana will also cope if you plant them in a muddy bog (waterlogged) or moist soil too. Laevigata Iris varieties are true water plants and will not grow well unless submerged by a small amount of water.
The wildlife value of having these emergent Iris in the pond itself is that they will allow dragon and damselfly larvae to use the tall leaf growth to climb up and out of the pond water to emerge as adults.
Moist loving Iris will NOT grow submerged in water. These include varieties of Iris ensata, Iris setosa and Iris sibirica. The Iris ensata will handle wet soil in Summer but not in Winter as they will rot and Iris setosa and sibirica will only enjoy moist soil and will survive in soil that has dried out for a short time.
Please see our Tips and Advice page: Which Iris should I plant in which soil? for more information and Iris images.
As it is nearly time to work with Iris that have finished flowering see Repotting a pond plant to see how to divide and repot a water Iris in late June or early July.