Northwest Blooms · Irises
Iris 'Mood Ring'
Mood Ring Iris
- Height
- 3 feet
- Width
- 1 to 1 1/2 feet
- Flower color
- Violet-purple, silvery lavender 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 'Mood Ring' is a tall bearded iris with ruffled, unusually colored flowers that open in midseason. The standards are a dusky violet-purple, subtly shaded with muted olive near the edges. Silvery lavender falls become almost white toward their centers and are outlined by a narrow band of warm golden yellow. Rich yellow beards complete the contrasting palette. Upright, sword-shaped green foliage forms tidy fans beneath the flowering stems.
Introduced in 2017 by hybridizer Keith Keppel, 'Mood Ring' received an American Iris Society Honorable Mention in 2019, Award of Merit in 2021, and Nelson Award in 2022. Its intriguing mixture of violet, silver-lavender, and gold lends itself especially well to contemporary and mixed perennial plantings, where its complex coloring can provide a transition between cool and warm sections of the garden.
Works well in
Borders · Formal Gardens · Walkways · Cut Flower Gardens · Waterwise Gardens
Companion plants
Dwarf bluebeard · Golden currant · Purple prairie clover · Moonshine yarrow · Blue flax · Silver lamb's ear · Creeping woolly thyme
Design tip
Position 'Mood Ring' against a simple backdrop where its unusual color shifts remain easy to see. Grey or silver foliage can emphasize the cooler tones, while nearby golden flowers pick up the narrow yellow margins and prevent the planting from feeling overly subdued.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at Schreiner's Iris Gardens.
