Description of Iris laevigata 'Snowdrift'

Iris laevigata 'Snowdrift' is a Japanese water iris with white flowers for pond margins and wet bog soil. It’s a good pick when you want a lighter colour that still shows up against dark leaves.

Appearance

It makes upright fans of narrow leaves, then flowers in early to mid summer. Blooms are white, often with subtle markings, held on stems usually around 60 to 90cm.

Care Guide

Keep the roots wet, feed in spring, and avoid letting the basket dry out at the top of a liner bog.

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

Plant the rhizome just below the surface and keep weeds away so it can bulk up.

Suitability for Bog Garden

This iris is ideal for the wettest part of a bog garden, or a pond shelf. White flowers also pair well with pink loosestrife and red lobelia, so you can build a longer colour run through summer.

For a clean look, plant it in a basket and sink the basket at the margin. That makes feeding and dividing simpler too.

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