Copper Iris
Iris fulva
Terra-cotta copper-red flowers unlike any other iris, glowing in afternoon light. Takes wet soil, flooding, and clay in rain gardens and pond edges.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
A copper-red iris for wet soil. an unusual color for an unusual site.
Copper iris is unlike any other iris you've grown. The flowers are a warm, terra-cotta copper-red with a color unmistakable in the garden: not yellow, not orange, not red, but something in between that glows in afternoon light. Native to southern river margins and bayous, it takes wet soil, periodic flooding, and heavy clay in stride, making it one of the most valuable irises for rain gardens and pond edges. The foliage is the classic narrow iris blade, upright and architectural, standing at two to three feet through the growing season. It spreads at a moderate pace by rhizome and naturalizes well in moist, seasonally wet areas. An unusual color in any garden. Gardeners who see it at the nursery consistently reach for it.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown copper iris propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant copper iris instead of Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) in wet areas. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Moist
- Mature size
- 2–3 ft · 18–24 in wide
- Bloom time
- May–June
- Bloom color
- Red
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Native range
- South-central United States from Missouri and Illinois south through the Mississippi Valley to Louisiana and Texas
Care notes for copper iris.
Full to part sun in moist to wet soil. One of the best native perennials for rain gardens, pond margins, and periodically flooded areas. Tolerates average garden soil with consistent moisture. Divide rhizomes every few years in late summer to maintain vigor and increase plants.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside copper iris.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.