Northwest Blooms · Irises
Iris 'Idle Rich'
Idle Rich Iris
- Height
- 36 inches
- Width
- 1 to 1 1/2 feet
- Flower color
- Yellow-green, violet-purple and golden yellow
- 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 'Idle Rich' is a tall bearded iris with broad, heavily ruffled flowers that bloom in midseason. The standards are an unusual muted yellow-green with a smoky violet-purple wash concentrated through their centers, creating a darker crown above the flower. The falls are a clearer golden yellow with a small paler area beneath the beards. Golden-yellow beards add another layer of warmth at the center. The unusual combination of dusky purple and yellow gives the flowers considerable depth above upright, sword-shaped green foliage.
Hybridized by Keith Keppel, 'Idle Rich' was registered in 2015 and introduced in 2016. It received an American Iris Society Honorable Mention in 2018 and Award of Merit in 2021. Its reverse bicolor pattern and muted coloring make it particularly useful for linking purple and yellow areas of a planting without the sharp contrast created by brighter two-toned flowers.
Works well in
Borders · Formal Gardens · Cut Flower Gardens · Foundation Plantings · Waterwise Gardens
Companion plants
Dwarf ninebark · Dwarf juniper · Purple catmint · Cream yarrow · Blue flax · Silver sage · Creeping stonecrop
Design tip
Let 'Idle Rich' act as a bridge between contrasting sections of the garden. Its violet-centered standards connect naturally with purple flowers, while the yellow falls carry the eye toward gold foliage and warmer blooms, creating a smoother transition between the two.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at Schreiner's Iris Gardens.
