Description of Iris laevigata 'Mottled Blue'

Iris laevigata 'Mottled Blue' is a Japanese water iris for wet soil and pond margins. It’s a good choice if you want a true marginal iris that copes with saturated ground through summer.

Appearance

It forms upright fans of narrow leaves, then flowers in early to mid summer. Blooms are blue with mottled markings, carried on stems often around 60 to 90cm.

Care Guide

Keep the root zone wet and you’ll get stronger growth and better flowering.

• Sun: Full sun for best flowers, part shade is fine in a wet spot.
• Soil: Heavy, fertile soil or aquatic compost.
• Water: Saturated bog soil or shallow water around the roots.
• Feeding: A spring feed helps, especially in containers.
• Division: Divide in spring every few years if the clump becomes crowded.

Plant the rhizome just below the surface and keep weeds away from the crown.

Suitability for Bog Garden

This iris is ideal for the wettest part of a bog garden or a pond shelf. In a liner bog, give it a deeper pocket of compost so it doesn’t dry at the top in hot weather.

Use it as a feature clump or repeat it along the margin. It pairs well with later summer colour like loosestrife and lobelia.

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