Delmarva Delight is a Japanese iris with elegant bicolor flowers: a white center that shades out to blue along the edges, fine white veining, and a bright yellow signal at the base of each fall. The lightly ruffled petals and blue-tipped style arms give it a refined look.
It blooms dependably in the middle of the Japanese iris season in early summer, on plants about 3 feet tall. Use it as a specimen, in groups along a pond or rain garden, or for cutting.
What it looks like
Large, flat, open flowers with lightly ruffled petals that are white in the center, fading outward to soft blue at the edges, with delicate white veining throughout. Each fall has a bright yellow signal at its base, and the central style arms are white tipped with soft blue. Flowers are held on slender, upright stems above narrow, sword-shaped green leaves. The plant forms an upright clump about 36 inches tall and 24 to 28 inches wide. At peak the white-and-blue blooms look cool and crisp above the green leaves.
Growing it with lavender
Japanese iris wants rich, steadily moist soil that would rot lavender, so give it its own spot at a pond edge, in a rain garden or in a low, damp part of the yard.
Care
Plant in full sun to part shade in rich, acidic to neutral soil that stays consistently moist, especially from spring through bloom; they do well at pond edges but should not sit underwater in winter. Hardy in zones 4-9. Avoid lime, cut spent stems after flowering, and divide every 3-4 years in late summer to keep clumps vigorous.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Iris ensata
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Flower color: White center fading to blue edges with a yellow signal
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Foliage: Mid-green
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Growth habit: Upright clump
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Mature size: 36 in tall × 24–28 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Mid-June
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Peak bloom: Late-June
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Bloom pattern: Single Flush
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Good
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
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