Fiddles on Fire is a compact Siberian iris with mauve-rose flowers lit up by bright yellow flares and fine mauve veining. It adds warm color to the early-summer garden.
At under 2 feet tall and 1½ to 2 feet wide, it fits the front of a border, smaller gardens and rain gardens. The slender, grassy leaves stay neat after bloom, and deer and rabbits usually leave it alone.
What it looks like
Flowers in mauve-rose with bright yellow flares at the base of each fall and intricate darker mauve veining radiating across the petals. Flowers are held on slender, upright stems just above narrow, grass-like green leaves. The plant forms a compact, upright clump about 20 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide. Many flowers open together at the top of the clump. At peak the warm mauve-rose blooms with yellow centers crown the fine green foliage.
Growing it with lavender
Siberian iris prefers steadier moisture than lavender, so it fits best in a moister border or rain garden nearby, where its early-summer blooms can open just before the lavender begins.
Care
Grow in full sun to part shade in average to rich soil and keep it well watered through the season, especially in spring and early summer. Hardy in zones 3-9. Cut back the foliage in late fall or early spring, and divide crowded clumps in late summer; Siberian iris is not bothered by black walnut.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Iris sibirica
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Flower color: Mauve-rose with yellow flares and mauve veins
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Foliage: Green
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Growth habit: Compact, upright clump
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Mature size: 20 in tall × 18–24 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–9
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Early-June
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Peak bloom: Mid-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.