Companion Plants for Iris: Best Perennial Pairings

Overview

Iris plants (Iridaceae family) are hardy herbaceous perennials with showy flowers and sword-like foliage. Named for the rainbow goddess, they bloom in diverse colors. Several perennials provide complementary foliage and bloom when planted alongside irises.

Recommended Iris Companions

Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Buttercup family perennial to 30 inches with bluish-green compound leaves. Showy red-yellow bell-shaped flowers with backward spurs (February-July) attract hummingbirds and long-tongued insects. Needs moist, rich, well-drained soil.

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Bushy 1-1.5 foot perennial with flat-topped yellow-orange to bright orange flower clusters (May-September). Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Prefers sandy, well-drained soil; drought tolerant.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

4-foot moisture-loving perennial with branching stems and pink-purple flower clusters (June-October). Prefers sun to part shade and neutral to slightly acidic soil.

Blood Sage (Salvia coccinea)

Brazilian native with widely spaced spikes of pink/red flowers (February-October). Tolerates diverse soils from caliche to clay.

Scarlet Hedgenettle (Stachys coccinea)

Mint family perennial to 3+ feet with square stems, aromatic dark green foliage. Red flowers March-October.

Slender False Dragonhead (Physostegia intermedia)

1-5 foot perennial with dense basal foliage and funnel-shaped white-lavender flowers with purple streaks (May-July) in terminal spikes attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.