Swans in Flight is a later-blooming white Siberian iris with very large, 5-inch ivory flowers that are wider and fuller than older white types. Lemon yellow signals give each bloom a soft glow.
Plants grow about 33 inches tall and 1½ to 2 feet wide. Planted in groups it creates a sheet of white in early summer. It suits borders, rain gardens, pond edges and cutting.
What it looks like
Very large flowers about 5 inches across in ivory white, with broad, full petals and a lemon-yellow signal at the base of each fall. Flowers are held on slender, upright stems above narrow, grass-like green leaves. The plant forms an upright clump about 33 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide. At peak a massed planting looks like a blanket of wide white blooms above 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: Ivory white with lemon-yellow signals
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Foliage: Green
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Growth habit: Upright clump
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Mature size: 33 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: 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.