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Iris japonica 'Eco Easter' (Eco Easter Japanese Evergreen Iris) - A spreading evergreen perennial to 12 to 15 inches that grows in dense spreading clumps with broad fans of mid-green strap shaped leaves that rise up from shallowly rooted rhizomes. In early to mid-spring are reliably produced the beautiful 2 inch wide lightly fragrant lavender-blue flowers with a yellow base and darker purple markings on the lower petals (the falls) while the inner lavender-blue petals (the standards) are narrow with fringed tips. The multiple flowering stems rise just above the foliage, each holding 4 to 8 buds, in mid-spring that open in succession over several weeks.
Plant in part sun or shade and water occasionally. Hardy to 0-5°F and useful in USDA Zones 7a and above. Keep an eye out for snails as they can mar the attractive foliage but these ae seemingly unattractive deer and other browsing animals. It is an easy plant to divide and spread around in one's own garden or to share with friends. This plant makes a very nice small-scale groundcover and is a nice component with grasses, other perennials and bulbs for a natural meadow look.
Iris japonica 'Eco Easter' was introduced to the trade by Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was bred by Don Jacobs in Decatur Georgia for it increased hardiness and particularly for being more floriferous than other Iris japonica selections. Iris japonica is a native of China and Japan and is also commonly known as Fringed Iris and Butterfly Flower'. We thank John Greenlee for bringing our attention to this plant and for providing the propagation stock on it, though we only grew in from 2019 to 2020. Image on this page courtesy of Plant Delights Nursery.
This information about Iris japonica 'Eco Easter' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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