The Best Companion Plants for Irises: A Complete Guide

Irises are classic cottage garden flowers that bloom in late spring with magnificent colors and forms. Their sword-like foliage adds striking vertical accents to flower beds and borders. Once their blooms fade, however, irises can look rather unkempt. The key is to surround them with the right companion plants that can mask their declining foliage while extending the season of color.

With a bit of planning, you can create stunning iris plantings that look beautiful from early spring bulbs through late summer perennials. Here is a complete guide to the best companion plants for irises.

Why Grow Irises

Before diving into companion plants, let’s review some of the reasons you should include these flowers in your garden:

• Wide range of colors and forms – Irises come in a rainbow of colors including pastels, brights, bicolors and more. You can find tall bearded, Siberian, dwarf and other types.

• Easy care – Irises are very low maintenance once established and thrive in full sun with good drainage.

• Fragrance – Many iris varieties are delightfully fragrant.

• Long lived – Clumps will last for years and can be divided to expand plantings

• Early to late bloom – With careful selection, you can enjoy irises over a 6 week bloom period.

• Deer resistant – Deer and rabbits usually don’t bother these plants.

Iris Companion Planting Guidelines

Here are some key tips for choosing and siting companion plants with irises

• Sun lovers – Pick companions that thrive in full sun like irises.

• Foliage consideration – Avoid plants that produce dense foliage at ground level which could overtake iris clumps.

• Spacing – Leave adequate space around iris clumps for air circulation and rhizome baking.

• Bloom sequence – Choose plants that bloom before, during and after irises.

• Design themes – Repeat colors or combine contrasting hues. Follow a relaxed cottage or formal look.

• Soil drainage – Ensure excellent drainage for the whole area. Add organic matter like compost to absorb excess moisture.

Early Spring Bulbs

One of the best ways to boost early color is to naturalize small spring flowering bulbs among your iris clumps. Plant them in drifts of at least 30 bulbs for maximum impact.

Crocus – These tiny jewels bloom in a rainbow of colors sometimes as early as late winter. Mix colors or mass one hue.

Daffodils – For cheerful yellow, plant mid to late season blooming daffodils that will flower alongside the irises. ‘Ice Follies’ is a reliable variety.

Hyacinths – Fill the air with sweet fragrance by planting hyacinths near your iris beds. Opt for pinks, blues or purples which blend nicely.

Anemones – Pop of color with the daisy-like blooms of anemones in shades like white, blue or pink.

Alliums – Let alliums continue the color show after your irises finish blooming. Allium christophii is a common choice.

Spring Perennials

The following perennials will flower in sync with your irises to create a spectacular spring display:

Columbines – With their delicate blooms, columbines pair beautifully with irises. Grow them from seed and enjoy self-sown babies.

Coral bells – For foliage interest, plant coral bells which come in green, purple and variegated forms. Flowers are a bonus.

Baptisia – Bold blue flowers on green foliage will make a striking contrast. ‘Blue Towers’ is a nice upright variety.

Salvia nemorosa – For spikes of violet blue color after your irises finish blooming, grow this hardy sage. ‘May Night’ is a favorite.

Lady’s mantle – Lime green flowers hover over the fuzzy silver leaves of lady’s mantle. An attractive foliage plant.

Catmint – Wispy catmint boasts loads of lavender-blue blooms. It’s a great plant for pathways and edges.

Summer Perennials

Fill in after irises with summer perennials that won’t overwhelm the plants. Here are some top choices:

Yarrow – Flat-topped clusters of tiny white or yellow flowers bloom all summer atop ferny foliage. Yarrow is tough and drought tolerant.

Shasta daisy – For classic white daisy flowers, grow one of the many Shasta daisy cultivars like ‘Becky’. Deadhead for continuous blooms.

Gaillardia – Blanket flower is heat and drought tolerant with cheery daisy-like flowers in bold colors like orange, red and yellow.

Heliopsis – Add bright golden daisy blooms with a plant like heliopsis helianthoides ‘Summer Sun’. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall.

Rudbeckia – Coneflowers like the popular rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ produce an abundance of bright golden daisies with dark centers.

Daylily – These sumer blooming bulbs come in every color except blue and many have fancy two-toned flowers. Remove spent scapes.

Geranium – Hardy geraniums like Rozanne form a lush mound of foliage studded with violet blue blooms from spring through frost.

Monarda – If you have powdery mildew resistant varieties like the Balmy series, monarda offers shaggy clusters of flowers in shades of pink, purple, red and white.

Sedum – Upright sedum like Autumn Joy gives height and color. Its flowers morph from pink to copper. Keep it a foot or so from iris clumps to avoid overcrowding.

Grasses

Ornamental grasses make excellent companions for bearded iris. The slim upright leaves don’t compete for space and their movement adds interest after the irises have finished blooming. Some top picks include:

Calamagrostis – Feather reed grass offers wispy, upright foliage and airy plumes. ‘Karl Foerster’ is popular.

Schizachyrium – For clouds of fuzzy purple flowers, try little bluestem grass. It takes on a nice orange hue in fall before winter interest.

Panicum – Many panicum cultivars give strong vertical form and airy seed heads. ‘Shenandoah’ has burgundy foliage that fades to pinkish tan.

Miscanthus – Maiden grass is a showstopper that can grow quite large, so give it space. ‘Morning Light’ has white striping on the leaves.

Other Companions

Don’t overlook these other possibilities:

• Lavender – With its heavenly fragrance and purple blooms, lavender is ideal near paths and walkways. Opt for compact types.

• Salvia – The red flowers of salvia stand out against green foliage. ‘Caradonna’ works nicely with its purple tinted foliage.

• Poppy – Papery blooms float above iris foliage offering a casual charm. Shirley poppies come in soft colors with ruffled petals.

• Viola – Grow violas from seed for a carpet of flowers in many colors to blend with your irises. They’ll reseed for more.

• Peony – Plant peonies behind irises so their huge flowers can take center stage while disguising declining iris foliage

• Roses – Place shorter varieties like groundcover roses and miniatures near the front of your iris beds for added bloom.

Design Ideas

Now that you’re familiar with top companion plants, here are a few ideas to inspire your iris garden:

Cottage garden – Embrace a relaxed, informal look with iris companion plants like columbine, poppy, catmint, coral bells, gaillardia and grasses scattered in drifts.

Pastel garden – Stick to a soft palette of lavender, pink, white, and pale yellow with plants like violas, baptisia, catmint, yarrow, Shasta daisy and lady’s mantle.

Sunny border – Brighten a sunny plot with the hot hues of yellow iris, orange geum, red monarda, yellow coreopsis and purple salvia.

Fragrance garden – Create an intoxicating spring scape with hyacinth, daffodil, baptisia, lavender and roses around your irises.

Cutting garden – Grow flowers like peony, gaillardia, daffodil, yarrow and roses near your home for fresh bouquets.

Rock garden – Tuck dwarf iris, violas, sedum, hens and chicks (sempervivum), thyme and other low growers into pockets among rocks and boulders.

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