Iris 'On Mulberry Street'
Iris 'On Mulberry Street'

Multi Buy

Size Guide
5.5
5.5" Perennial
3 or more $14.00 ea
Regularly: $14.99 ea

Iris 'On Mulberry Street'

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$14.99
Title

Introduce a captivating symphony of rich, multi-toned watercolour artistry to your landscape with this spectacular modern Siberian Iris. This striking variety forms a refined, compact clump of upright, slender, sword-like green leaves that mimic a premium architectural grass. Rising gracefully above this structured frame on sturdy, wind-resistant stems are large, beautifully ruffled blossoms featuring a complex, layered palette. The ruffled style arms and pale blue to lavender-pink standards are heavily veined and dappled with a deep red-violet. They sit elegantly atop velvety blue-violet falls that transition to rich red-violet edges, all dramatically anchored by a glowing, golden-yellow honey center signal patch. It creates a highly artistic, sophisticated silhouette that radiates pure luxury and dramatic contrast in the summer sun.
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Plant Details

Mature Size:

24-34" H x 18-24" W

Zone:

3-9

Watering:

Medium to High

Type:

Herbaceous Perennial

Growth Rate:

Moderate

Light:

Full Sun/Partial Shade

Plant Profile

Common Names:

On Mulberry Street Siberian Iris, Mulberry Street Siberian Flag, Peacock Series Siberian Iris

Scientific Name:

Iris sibirica 'On Mulberry Street'

Type:

Thriller / Aquatic / Multi-Toned Ornamental Perennial

Growth Details:

  • Mature Size: Height of 60–85 cm (24–34 inches) x Width of 45–60 cm (18–24 inches).
  • Growth Habit: Upright, clumping, and slowly expanding.
  • Form: Erect, fan-shaped architectural foliage topped with stiff, vertical flower stalks.
  • Growth Rate: Medium; builds a solid, established clump over two to three seasons before blooming in maximum profusion.
  • Flowering: Highly detailed, multi-toned flag-type flowers featuring unique overlapping petal layers and heavily ruffled style arms.
  • Flowering Time: Late spring to early summer (blooms reliably in June and July).
  • Flower Colour: A blend of purplish-lavender standards with dark red-violet veining, deep blue-violet falls, and a golden honey-yellow center signal.

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade (prefers at least 6 hours of direct sunlight for maximum bloom power).

Soil Preferences: Thrives in rich, fertile, moist to wet soils that are organically heavy and moderately acidic.

Soil Tolerance: Highly forgiving. Easily tolerates heavy clay, wet soils, muck, and loamy conditions, but can also adapt to drier garden beds once fully established.

Watering: Moderate to high. Thrives beautifully in water-heavy margins and seasonal low spots where other perennials often drown.

Container Role: Functions as a stunning, vertical Thriller in aquatic container gardens, patio bog bowls, or damp planters.

Special Features:

Disease Resistances: Exceptionally robust; highly resistant to typical iris pests like iris borer and terrestrial crown rot.

Native Species: Derived from species native to the damp meadows and river valleys of Europe and Central Asia.

Fast Growing: Steadily doubles its crown density year after year, forming a reliable and tightly knit focal point.

Attracts: Frequently draws in butterflies, native bees, and migrating honeybees.

Uses: Unique cut flowers (harvest when the flower bud is colourful but still closed for maximum vase life), rain garden structuring, pond-side accents, and low-maintenance borders.

Resistance: Notably resistant to drought (once fully established), heat, deer, rabbits, and juglone (black walnut toxicity).

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

  • Bloom Information: Features multi-layered, ruffled flag blossoms with extreme, showy presence and a slight sweet fragrance.
  • Fall Colour: Strap-like leaves turn a handsome copper-straw yellow in late autumn before melting back for winter dormancy.

Garden Value:

Ornamental Interest: Delivers high artistic contrast through its intricately veined, multi-coloured ruffling blossoms against a crisp, fine-textured grass-like foliage mound.

Landscaping Uses: Perfect for sophisticated perennial borders, rain gardens, naturalized pond edges, stream margins, bioswales, and luxury cutting beds.

Garden/Landscape Benefits: Provides excellent architectural structure, naturalizes beautifully over time into larger colonies, and easily survives under Black Walnut trees since it is completely immune to juglone toxicity.

Wildlife & Human Value:

Wildlife Value: Offers an invaluable early-summer nectar source for native pollinators and butterflies.

Human Value: Perfect for eco-friendly stormwater management (rain gardens) and heavy clay yards where traditional garden irises fail. The unique multi-toned blooms provide a sophisticated, florist-grade cut flower for home vases.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

  • Best Time To Plant: Early spring or late summer to autumn when temperatures are cool and moisture levels are naturally high.
  • Spacing: Space 45–60 cm (18–24 inches) apart from the center to give the rhizomes room to safely spread and form a seamless mass.
  • Location Tips: Plant bare roots roughly 2 inches deep below the soil surface. Choose damp areas, rain gardens, or shoreline zones where soil rarely dries out entirely, but avoid stagnant, poorly oxygenated water traps.
  • Companion Plants: Pairs exquisitely in mass plantings or mixed with Caltha palustris (Marsh Marigold), Astilbes, Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower), and soft cream-colored Daylilies.

Care:

Light Requirements: Thrives best in full sun to produce the maximum number of flower stalks and deepest color expression, but easily adapts to partial shade.

Moisture Requirements: Requires plenty of water throughout the active growing season; thrives in moist, wet, or boggy soils but can handle normal garden moisture if never allowed to bake completely bone-dry.

Maintenance: Low maintenance. Snip away old flower stems down to the base after the blooming period ends to keep the clump looking tidy. Leave the architectural green foliage alone until it naturally withers, then remove dead leaves in late autumn or early spring.

Fertilization: Apply a single application of balanced, organic perennial fertilizer or a light top-dressing of rich compost once per year in early spring as fresh shoots emerge.

Tolerances:

Damp soil and temporary flooding tolerant, Heavy clay soil tolerant, Black walnut tree tolerant (resists juglone), Cold and deep frost tolerant, Deer and rabbit resistant

Tips For Success:

Thinning/Pinching: Unlike bearded varieties, deadheading will not force reblooming. Leave the plant undisturbed until you notice a clear drop in bloom production, then divide the clump in late summer or early autumn.

Support/Staking: Completely unnecessary; the slender, fibrous stems are specifically bred to remain rigid and wind-resistant.

Mulching: Apply a 5 cm (2-inch) layer of shredded leaves or pine bark around the base to preserve moisture and mimic a natural damp meadow setting.

Winter Protection: Apply a fresh layer of mulch over the crown in late autumn to prevent winter frost-heaving, especially during its first season in the ground.