How do you grow African irises?

Once established, the African Iris can handle poor, dry soils, but will do best in well-drained soil with regular watering during the growing season.

How do you fertilize African irises?

Fertilize established African irises in early spring and again in mid summer. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of a 5-10-10 or 5-10-5 fertilizer and sprinkle it on top of the soil at the base of the plants but not touching the rhizomes to avoid burning the roots. Water the fertilizer into the soil immediately after applying.

Is African iris deer resistant?

African Iris is deer resistant adding to it's easy going growing style.

White African Iris

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Product Description

The White African Iris plant is the perfect way to add a touch of the exotic to your landscape without ever leaving your backyard!

African white Iris plants are at home in any garden, offering aesthetic value and dramatic flair with their beautiful white flowers with yellow accents. These versatile plants are often called butterfly iris or a Fortnight Lily because they bloom in bursts with a two-week cycle of downtime. You may see flowers bloom in early spring or fall.

The flowering stems of the African Iris are evergreen perennials that are fan shaped. You don’t need to cut back the flower stalks after the first flowering as you might for most other reblooming iris-like plants. It is similar to the tall bearded irises and of the same origin from South Africa. Some would even consider African Irises to be an ornamental grass.

There are many iris flower colors of African iris dietes but the bicolor white and yellow with purple blue markings is a good pair together to bring sunshiney vibes. It is the best white iris variety for gifts for gardeners as it is easy to grow and we have high quality plants!

African irises are a great statement piece in your garden beds and also make excellent cut flowers. You can plant the White African Iris virtually anywhere: water gardens, foundation planting, as accent plants, or in containers.

African Iris Care

Reduce watering and fertilizing after flowering. The exotic white blooms do not like standing water or wet soil as this causes root rot. Feel free to deadhead spent flower spikes with pruning shears after their 2 week bloom period. It will encourage new growth the next spring bloom.

The African Iris can grow in a wide range of soil types. Irises can handle poor, dry soils, moist soils, but will do best in well-drained soil with regular watering during the growing season. Once established, it is drought tolerant. Stands up to heat, drought, and neglect… What more could you ask for? Our White African Iris’s in Floridas landscape thrive with heat in a partial shade bed.

Dietes iridioides can grow up to 2-3 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide in full sun to partial shade. Prefers warmer climates across the United States in the department of agriculture plant hardiness zones 8-11. The plant will come as a potted iris bulb with rooted rhizomes. The best time to plant irises is in the spring but you can also do an early fall planting if desired.

Shop the White African Iris for sale or check out our other shrubs and hedges for sale.

Botanical Name

Dietes iridioides

Sunlight Full Sun / Partial Shade

Flower Color White

Foliage Color Green

Mature Height 2-3 ft

Mature Width 1-2 ft

Growing Zones 8, 9, 10, 11

Special Features

Clump forming
Low maintenance
Showy flowers

Shipping Info

Once your White African Iris order is placed, we will ship your plant(s) within seven business days year round unless during the checkout process you request otherwise in the space provided to do so.

Perfect Plants’ shipping specialists carefully package your plants using a proven packaging method that ensures your plants arrive healthy, colorfully alive and ready to flourish. We’ve coined the term ‘upside down box test’ and we do just that; we carefully package so that regardless of the direction your box is handled, it will not harm your precious plant that’s inside.

No shipping process is without a problem from time to time. On rare occasions some plants may experience some of the following during their transit: drooping, minor leaf-loss and/or minimal yellowing/discoloration, minor limb damage, etc. These instances are quite rare, but can happen when shipping plants in boxes.

Plants normally recover within a few weeks after planting. If a damaged box has injured your plant on the inside, please notify us within 5 days of receiving you package(s) by emailing us a photograph of the damage.

We always do our very best to ensure that your plants are packed and shipped in the safest, gentlest and most effective way possible.

Will my plants and trees look like the photographs?

Absolutely! Unlike other online nurseries, our photos are of actual plants and trees we’ve grown here, on our family operated nursery.

Growing our own plants and trees helps to ensure we ship you the best quality plants that are free of pests and diseases.

Your plants and trees may however not ship with flowers on them, like the photographs. This all depends on the time of year you buy your plant or tree. Crape Myrtle trees, for example, only bloom during the summer months, so if you purchase one during the spring or fall, they would ship without flowers. Once planted, your plants will grow and thrive giving you flowers for many years to come!

Pot Sizes

Pot sizes (commonly referred to in gallons) are shipped in the same size nursery trade pots which may vary in actual volume. Some plants may have been at the approximate pot size listed, but require excess dirt to be removed so that you will not be paying any additional shipping costs. This doesn’t happen very often though.

Shipping Fees

Our shipping charges are based on the value of your order. Please use the chart below to see what your shipping charge will be.

Care

WHITE AFRICAN IRIS CARE:

The African Iris should be planted in well-draided, organic-rich soil. It needs full sun to partial shade, where it will receive at least 6-8 hours of unfiltered sunlight. The African Iris should receive regular water until established and although they are drought tolerant once established, they should be watered weekly for best growth and flower production. Prune spent blooms and dear or dying foliage as necessary.

Space them 2-3ft apart to allow proper airflow between plants.

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Dig a hole approximately twice as wide as your new plant’s root ball and deep enough so that the top of the root ball is equal with the ground level.

Loosen the root ball using a small garden spade or by hand. Breaking smaller outer roots can encourage growth into the new soil, but take care to not damage large primary roots.

Place the plant in the hole and ensure that it is situated evenly upright. Use the excavated soil to fill in around the root ball, using your foot to pack it in firmly. Thoroughly soak with a hose as you fill in the dirt. Take great care to not leave any gaps or air spaces around the root ball as this could kill the plant.

A 2-4 inch layer of mulch is strongly recommended to help retain moisture and discourage weed growth. Apply mulch over the entire planting area but keep away from the stems or trunk by a few inches. Ensure that the plant and surrounding soil is completely soaked with water.

To ensure the proper nutrients are available for the life of your White African Iris, our proprietary Perfect Plants Special Blend Soil and a once yearly application of Nutricote Total 360 Fertilizer are great considerations for your new plants!

6 reviews for White African Iris

5 star		83%
4 star		16%
3 star		0%
2 star		0%
1 star		0%
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Rated 5 out of 5
James – April 13, 2016
Got this plant for my wife and she love it so I’m very very happy great job guys thanks
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Rated 5 out of 5
Suna Woods – June 7, 2017
Bought for my summer pots on the porch. They say you need a ‘thriller, filler, spiller’ in your pots. Bought the iris as the thriller, as they grow very straight and bloom nicely. If you are new to irises, they are very drought tolerant, so missing a few days of water won’t kill them (another reason for my pot choice). Plants were 1ft tall when shipped. Thanks Perfect Plants. I will be back next summer.
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Rated 4 out of 5
Michael Lewis – January 29, 2018
Ordered 10 #1gallon size. All where good and green, about 12″ Tall. Happy.
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Rated 5 out of 5
Dee Bialy – October 26, 2018
Excellent gallon iris. Excellent packing for shipping via UPS. IRis arrived in better condition than riding home in my car! Iris is magnificent and growing fast.
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- Perfect Plants (store manager) – October 26, 2018
  Dee, thank you so much for your kind words about the white african iris! We are so happy you are pleased. Happy planting! :)
Rated 5 out of 5
Constance Henry (verified owner) – May 20, 2020
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Rated 5 out of 5
Pam (verified owner) – June 25, 2020
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My plants are thriving. I look forward to ordering from your company in the future.
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- Perfect Plants (store manager) – June 26, 2020
  We hope to help grow your future garden even more! Enjoy your White African Iris :)

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