Northwest Blooms · Irises
Iris 'Candy Colors'
Candy Colors Iris
- Height
- 3 feet
- Width
- 1 1/2 to 2 feet
- Flower color
- Coral-orange, creamy apricot and violet with tangerine beards
- Foliage color
- Medium green, upright, sword-shaped foliage
- Bloom time
- Midseason
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate; drought tolerant once established
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 4 to 8
About this plant
Iris 'Candy Colors' is a tall bearded iris with ruffled, flaring flowers that open in midseason. Coral-orange standards rise above coral-orange to sienna falls, softly overlaid with creamy apricot around the beards. A large violet flash appears beside and below the rich tangerine-orange beards, creating a layered blend of warm and cool tones. Upright, sword-shaped green foliage forms neat fans beneath the flowering stems.
Introduced in 2009 by Australian hybridizer Barry Blyth through Tempo Two, 'Candy Colors' brings warm, blended color to sunny garden plantings. Its combination of coral, apricot, and violet works especially well in cottage gardens and mixed perennial borders. Plant it along walkways for close viewing, group several plants through an iris bed, or grow it where the ruffled flowers can be gathered for spring arrangements.
Works well in
Cottage Gardens · Borders · Cut Flower Gardens · Walkways · Waterwise Gardens
Companion plants
Rose · California lilac · Delphinium · Veronica · Coreopsis · Dianthus · Creeping thyme
Design tip
Use 'Candy Colors' as a bridge between warm and cool sections of a sunny border. Its coral and apricot tones connect naturally with yellows and pinks, while the violet accents allow nearby blues and purples to blend into the planting without an abrupt color change.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at Schreiner’s Iris Gardens.
