Walking Iris

Walking Iris (Neomarica gracilis) is a strappy evergreen clump reaching about 60cm tall and 60cm across, topped through the warm months by white flowers marked with blue and brown. Each bloom lasts a single day, but they open in succession for weeks and carry a light fragrance. The name describes the habit: flowering stems arch over, root where they touch soil, and the planting slowly walks its way across the bed.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers you can smell. White petals over a blue and brown throat, lightly fragrant, opening in waves rather than one short burst.
• It fills its own gaps. Arching stems strike roots wherever they land, so a thin planting knits into a full one without dividing or buying more.
• Shade and damp suit it. Partial shade brings out the best foliage, and it takes wet feet in ground where most strappy plants rot off.
• Evergreen and undemanding. The fans of green foliage hold all year, and there is no cutting back to schedule.

Where it works best

Mass planting and groundcover. Plant 40cm apart for full cover. At that spacing the fans close over the soil within a season or two, and the walking habit handles anything you miss.

Borders and edging. At 60cm it edges a shaded path without blocking the view across a bed, and it holds a line under established trees where turf gives up.

Pots and containers. One clump suits a 300mm to 400mm pot on a shaded verandah, where the arching flower stems are easier to appreciate.

Growing walking iris in Australia

Position and climate. Partial shade gives the deepest leaf colour and the heaviest flowering. Full sun is tolerated in milder districts but bleaches the foliage through a hot summer. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost only, so in cold inland, tableland and southern gardens grow it in a pot and shift it under cover for winter.

Soil. Any reasonable soil improved with compost. It is one of the few strappy plants comfortable in a damp or slow draining corner, though it will not sit in standing water indefinitely.

Water and feed. Moderate water. Keep the soil damp through the first summer, then a weekly soak in dry spells is enough. A complete slow release fertiliser in early spring covers the year.

Pruning. Almost none. Pull tired leaves away by hand, then either cut off spent flower stems or peg them down so the plantlets root where you want them.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in five sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, and a single 300mm pot. Tube and 140mm plants are young, usually two or three fans each, and they are the sensible buy for a bed of any size. The 250mm and 300mm pots arrive as established clumps and often flower in their first season.

Strappy plants travel well, though a few creased leaves in the box are normal and new fans replace them within weeks. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Designing with ornamental grasses and strappy foliage
• Compare the grasses and strappy leaf range.
• Browse plants suited to partial shade positions.
• Planting a whole bed: see our mass planting range.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Set plants 40cm apart for a solid mass planting. Wider spacing still works, it simply takes another season for the fans and the rooting stems to close the gaps.

Does it really walk across the garden?

Yes, slowly, and only where a flower stem reaches bare soil. Cutting spent stems off after flowering stops the spread entirely, so it is easy to keep within a defined bed.

Can I grow it where it frosts?

Only light frost is tolerated. In cool temperate and inland gardens grow it in a pot and move it to a sheltered verandah or indoors over winter.