Southern Blue Flag Iris 20 Pre-Stratified Seeds {Iris Virginica Shrevei} Cutting Fav | Showy Blooms | Free U.S. Shipping!

 

Iris virginica var. shrevei, Southern Blue Flag Iris, usually grows in large 

patches that expand outward from rhizomes. It is 2’-3’ high with the leaves 

on the flower stem growing slightly taller than the flower. Bloom time is 

from late spring to early summer. The bloom color is somewhat variable, but 

is most often a medium to pale blue violet. There is a yellow blotch on the 

lower sepal where it joins a small upper lip; a mark that helps to distinguish 

the flower from those of Iris versicolor, Northern Blue Flag Iris.

 

Below the yellow blotch, white and purple veined nectar guide lines fade to 

solid violet on the bottom edge. When the seed is close to maturity the weight 

of the pods will sometimes pull the stalk over to the ground where they will 

finish ripening and eventually split to drop the mature large brown seeds.

 

Southern Blue Flag Iris prefers full sun to part shade and will not bloom well 

if it has more shade than sun. It grows best in moist soils that are not too 

heavy but will tolerate some brief flooding early in the season and moderate 

dryness in late summer.  Other common names in use include: Shreve's Iris.

 

 

Growing your own plants from seed is the most economical way to add natives to 

your home. Before you get started, one of the most important things to know about 

the seeds of wild plants is that many have built-in dormancy mechanisms that 

prevent the seed from germinating. In nature, this prevents a population of plants 

from germinating all at once, before killing frosts, or in times of drought. To 

propagate native plants, a gardener must break this dormancy before seed will grow.

 

 Then, follow the GERMINATION INSTRUCTIONS 

prior to planting. Some species don't need any pre-treatment to germinate, but some 

species have dormancy mechanisms that must be broken before the seed will germinate. 

Some dormancy can be broken in a few minutes, but some species take months or even years.

 

Seed dormancy can be broken artificially by prolonged refrigeration of damp seed in the 

process of cold/moist STRATIFICATION. A less complicated approach is to let nature handle 

the stratifying through a dormant seeding, sowing seeds on the surface of a weed-free site 

in late fall or winter. Tucked safely beneath the snow, seeds will be conditioned by 

weathering to make germination possible in subsequent growing seasons.