Product Field NotesCompanion Plants
Night Thunder Pseudata Iris: Peach and Purple for the Moist Bed
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Night Thunder pseudata iris is one of the first pseudata irises to bloom. Its flat, open flowers are a warm peach blend lined with deep purple veins, with more solid purple on the upright petals and a prominent yellow signal at the base of each fall. The plant grows about 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall and spreads nearly 4 feet wide on healthy, vigorous fans of foliage.
It is a cross between yellow flag and Japanese iris, and it is sterile, so it will not seed around the way yellow flag can.
Night Thunder at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Iris × pseudata 'Night Thunder' |
| Flowers | Peach blend with deep purple veining, purple standards, yellow signal |
| Foliage | Long, sword-shaped green leaves in fans |
| Size | 26 to 30 inches tall, 44 to 48 inches wide |
| Bloom | Early summer, among the first pseudatas to open |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun to part shade |
Where it fits on a lavender property
Lavender demands sharp drainage. Night Thunder is happy where water lingers. That makes it a problem solver: the downspout outlet, the swale at the bottom of a slope, the edge of a pond or a rain garden that catches runoff from the lavender beds above. Each plant gets the ground it wants, and the iris blooms in early summer, ahead of the lavender season, so the garden has color before the purple arrives.
Its peach and purple flowers also echo the lavender across the yard. The deep purple veining reads especially well from a short distance. Plan a moist bed alongside your lavender in the Companion Plant Planner.
Planting a bare root iris
- Site: full sun to part shade, in average to moist soil.
- Depth: set the rhizome and roots just below the surface, with the leaf fan upright, and firm the soil.
- Water: water well after planting and keep the soil moist while it establishes.
- Ordinary borders: it handles regular border soil too, if you water during dry spells.
Care through the year
After bloom, cut the spent flower stems to keep the clump tidy. The sword-shaped fans stay attractive through summer. Every few years, when the clump gets crowded, divide it in late summer and replant the vigorous outer pieces. Because the plant is sterile, there are no seedlings to pull.
The flowers also cut well. Take stems when the first bud is just opening and the rest will follow in the vase.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pseudata iris?
A hybrid between yellow flag iris and Japanese iris. Night Thunder is sterile, so it does not self-seed.
Can it grow in standing water?
It tolerates wetter ground than most garden irises and suits pond edges and rain gardens. It also grows in ordinary border soil with watering.
Can I plant it with my lavender?
Not in the same bed. The moisture it enjoys would rot lavender, so give it a moister spot nearby.
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