Dwarf Crested Iris

Iris Cristata

Crested Irises grow wild but can also be purchased from nurseries. They are easy to divide and transplant.
In the wild, they are most often seen by creeks, but can be found on the sides of hills nowhere near water as well.
Our yard started with a couple which spread. We divided them and now have many patches of them around the yard.
They do well in everything from shade to full sun. In the wild, they are normally seen in a lot of shade.

They grow about 6 inches high and flower in late March, early April.
 The foliage looks good long after the flowers are gone.


We started with a few of them on the driveway. By 2009, they had spread pretty well:

By 2014, they had completely taken over the driveway bed.

While some sources say that crested irises need moist soil, this patch planted in our side lot with no watering has done just as good as those in the sprinkler system.

The above grew from just a few planted a year earlier:




Provide feedback