Southern Blue Flag Iris 20 Pre-Stratified Seeds {Iris Virginica Shrevei} Cutting Fav | Showy Blooms.

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.