Irises

Highlights

This is a plant that everyone needs in their gardens. There are hundreds of irises found worldwide, alongside native iris options for every state in the US (except Hawaii). You’ll instantly recognize these iconic flowers from Van Gogh paintings. You might think growing irises is best left to professional gardeners. Not true! Native irises offer elegant beauty with minimal work. Some even thrive in areas you might not think to plant, like the edge of a pond. Scroll on to meet some favorites.

Irises are a gardening staple. Did you know there are species native to North America? In this guide, we’ll cover the benefits of planting native irises and introduce you to some favorites.

First off…

What’s the difference between native and non-native irises?

There are 300+ species of iris found throughout the world. The number rises to an incredible 30,000+ if we include iris cultivars. All irises worldwide have a shared set of similarities. All irises are…

1. Perennials. When happy, they come back year after year.
2. Grown from a bulb or a rhizome. Both are plump underground stems, usually planted close to the soil’s surface. The leaves and flower stalks shoot up from there.
3. Shaped for pollination. The crazy shape of an iris flower guides bees right to the pollen. The petals are pollinator runways.
4. Named for the Greek goddess of the rainbow. In Greek myth, Iris carried messages along the rainbow. One look at the intricate colors in a native iris tells you where the inspiration came from.

Now that we know what all irises have in common, let’s talk about what makes native irises special.

What are the benefits of planting native irises?

There are so many reasons to plant native irises! A few favorites:

• Super low maintenance. Native irises need very little care to thrive, unlike many non-native irises, which can need fertilizer or special care.
• Comes back year after year. Irises are perennials, and a happy clump spreads a little more each year. Plant once and enjoy for years!
• Instagrammable beauty. Beauty matters! A gorgeous landscape with native flowers lifts spirits. Plant a patch of native irises and see for yourself.

Now that we’ve covered the benefits, let’s explore a few native options.

Meet some native iris species

Here are some North American native irises that offer beauty, resilience, and fuss-free care, organized by region:

Native irises for the eastern United States

Dwarf crested iris

Iris cristata

What a tiny powerhouse! Dwarf crested iris thrives in part shade to shade and rich soil. The only things it doesn’t like are full sun and staying wet. In nature, you’ll find it on forest floors from Pennsylvania down to Arkansas and Georgia.

Virginia iris

Iris virginica

Don’t let the name fool you: you can plant this native iris from Florida and Texas north to the Great Lakes and southern Canada. (It’s also called great blue flag, southern blue flag, or simply blue flag iris.)

Plant this native along the water line. In the wild, it grows in marshes, swamps, wet pinelands and wet meadows. It stands 2–3 feet tall and prefers sun.

Northern blue flag iris

Iris versicolor

This native iris thrives across the Northeast and the Great Lakes, from Newfoundland and Manitoba south to Virginia.

Northern blue flag irises love to be near water. You’ll find them alongside streams, lakes, and rivers, and sometimes in the water along shallow edges.

Slender blue iris

Iris prismatica

A shorter native iris: 1–2 feet. It grows wild from Nova Scotia and Maine down to South Carolina. True to its name, slender blue iris has a thin, reed-like stem with narrow flowers and leaves to match. A delicate powerhouse of a plant.

Louisiana irises

I. brevicaulis, I. fulva, I. giganticaerulea, I. hexagona, I. nelsonii

The five species of ‘Louisiana iris’ are celebrated for their stunning blooms, deep southern roots, and preference for sunny gardens. They cross easily with one another, which has given us a dazzling array of Louisiana iris cultivars. Among these, the iconic ‘Black Gamecock’ Louisiana iris stands out as a favorite.

Native irises for the western United States

Rocky Mountain iris

Iris missouriensis

This native iris thrives across the West, from the Rocky Mountains and the Dakotas to Washington, Oregon and California, mostly east of the Cascades.

Like its eastern cousin, northern blue flag, Rocky Mountain iris loves damp ground. You’ll find it in wet meadows and along streams, often in soil that dries out after it blooms.

Tough-leaf iris

Iris tenax

This Pacific Northwest native grows wild in western Washington and Oregon, into northern California. Its flowers come in purple, blue, white, and even yellow. According to Wildflowers of North and Central America, “The species name Tenax is from the Latin for ‘tenacious’, referring to the tough leaves, which were once used by Native Americans to make strong, pliable rope and cord.”

Want to meet more native irises?

We are excited to introduce some true iris experts who dig deeper into the iris genus. Find your irises (and your people):

• American Iris Society (gorgeous website, too!)
• Species Iris Group of North America
• Society of Pacific Coast Native Iris

Now that you’ve learned about some North American native options, you may have a few questions. We’ve put together some FAQs below; otherwise, scroll on for planting and sourcing ideas.

FAQs

What does ‘bearded’ or ‘beardless’ mean in irises?

‘Bearded’ or ‘beardless’ refers to whether the iris has short hairs on its lower petals. (The lower petals on an iris are called the ‘falls.’)

A quick look and you’ll see the ‘beard’:

Bearded

Beardless

Beards are a good way to tell if the iris is native to North America.

• Bearded irises are non-native. Their wild ancestors come from Europe and Asia.
• All North American native irises are ‘beardless’: no hairs on their lower petals.

Some non-native irises are beardless too, so a missing beard doesn’t prove an iris is native. But a beard is a sure sign that it isn’t.

If you want to read more about beards and iris classification, head over to The American Iris Society’s classification overview. They also cover a third group of bearded irises called arils.

Are bearded irises native?

Bearded irises (Iris germanica) are native to Europe and central Asia.

The rainbow of bearded iris colors we see today comes from cultivars (30,000+ of them!) bred and sold over generations. The original wild species is hard to find. “Iris germanica as a species is simply not sold in commerce today,” says the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Head to The American Iris Society’s Iris Encyclopedia to explore thousands of bearded iris cultivars.

What native irises are good for a rain garden?

Many native irises are great for rain gardens. A few to try:

For eastern rain gardens:

• Northern blue flag iris
• Virginia iris
• Louisiana irises

For western rain gardens:

• Rocky Mountain iris

These native irises are great additions to a rain garden, and there are lots more native plants that don’t mind some water, too. Read our Best Native Plants for Rain Gardens to meet more water-friendly friends.

Why are so many irises called ‘flags’?

According to the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox:

“The common name, ‘flag’, comes from an old English word (flagge) for reeds and refers to its natural preference to wetlands.”

Now that you know that ‘flag’ relates to water, you can often guess which irises love water just from the common name. Dwarf crested iris likes well-drained woodlands, while northern blue flag iris loves to be near waterways.

Interested in plant names? We are, too. Check out our Beautiful Native Plants with Terrible Names to meet (and laugh at) some simply horrible names. Tickseed, anyone?

Why are iris flowers that crazy shape?

This quick two-minute video from Spring Island Trust shows southern blue flag (another name for Virginia iris) and explains how the shape and yellow markings on native iris flowers help bumblebees pollinate them.

Where can I find native irises?

We are not going to lie: sometimes finding a specific native plant is challenging. But it gets a lot easier if you know where to look!

Here are four sourcing ideas to help you find native irises:

What are good pairings for native irises?

The best partners for native irises depend on where you garden. Pick your region to meet the flowers, shrubs and trees that grow happily alongside them:

Northeast

CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT

Mid-Atlantic

DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV

Southeast

AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN

Midwest

IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI

Southwest

AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT

Northwest

AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY

California + Nevada

All Plants

Explore all profiles

Feeling a little overwhelmed picking native plants?

Gardening should be fun and not feel like a botany exam. If you’re feeling overwhelmed as you plan your native garden, check out our inspiration guides. They are all written to help get you gardening (and not worrying.)

To make garden planning easy: Three-Color Native Gardens and Single-Plant Native Gardens are great resources.

Or, if you’re looking to focus on a specific butterfly or bird (or keep deer away!), visit Best Native Plants for Birds, Best Native Plants for Butterflies, and Deer-Resistant Native Plants.

Remember: native plants plant themselves. If they can do it, so can we.

And now you’ve met some of North America’s native irises! They have all the classic beauty of irises, plus the toughness of a native plant. Non-native bearded irises are lovely, but native irises deserve the spotlight too. Many thrive in tricky spots, like wet ground or rain gardens. Visit a native nursery to find a few, and watch them come back for years. Interested in exploring more native faves? Visit our Beginner’s Guide to Coneflowers or our Beginner’s Guide to Native Magnolias. Happy planting!

Other rain garden favorites

• Boneset
• Rose Mallow
• Cardinal Flower
• Winterberry
• Blue Vervain
• Ninebark
• Possumhaw
• Swamp Milkweed
• Golden Alexander

Written by

Emily Lessard

Founder & Editor, The Plant Native

Emily Lessard is the founder and editor of The Plant Native, the site that helps homeowners across North America get started with native plants. She holds a Sustainable Landscapes certificate through the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association, is finishing a Native Perennial Garden Design Certificate at Temple University, and is the author of Plant Native: A Practical Guide to Over 100 Native Plants of North America (Quarto, March 2027). She gardens outside Philadelphia in the 8.3 Southeastern Plains ecoregion.

Meet Emily

Updated October 12, 2026Find more: Blue · Purple · Beginner Guide · Deer Resistant · Flower · Spring · Full Sun · Part Sun · Rain Garden

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