Northwest Blooms · Irises
Iris 'Redneck Girl'
Redneck Girl Iris
- Height
- 36 inches
- Width
- 1 to 1 1/2 feet
- Flower color
- Claret and brick crimson with blue-purple beards
- Foliage color
- Medium green, upright, sword-shaped foliage
- Bloom time
- Late midseason
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate, drought tolerant once established
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 4 to 8
About this plant
Iris 'Redneck Girl' is a tall bearded iris with large, velvety flowers that bloom in late midseason. The standards are a deep claret-purple, while the broad, flaring falls deepen to a rich brick crimson, giving the flower a saturated red-purple appearance. Unusual blue-purple beards provide a cool accent against the warmer petals and are one of the cultivar's most distinctive features. The substantial, lightly ruffled flowers are carried above upright, sword-shaped green foliage.
Introduced by Schreiner's Gardens in 2014, 'Redneck Girl' received an American Iris Society Honorable Mention in 2016 and Award of Merit in 2018. Its combination of dark red-purple petals and contrasting blue beards brings depth to sunny plantings without appearing nearly black. The rich coloring works particularly well among gold, cream, pale pink, and silvery foliage.
Works well in
Borders · Cut Flower Gardens · Foundation Plantings · Mediterranean Gardens · Waterwise Gardens
Companion plants
Golden euonymus · Dwarf blue spruce · Pale pink yarrow · Cream coreopsis · Blue sea holly · Silver lamb's ear · White rock cress
Design tip
Use 'Redneck Girl' as a deep color accent where its red-purple flowers can interrupt a run of paler plants. Repeating small touches of blue elsewhere in the border will subtly echo the unusual beards and make their coloring more noticeable.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at Schreiner's Iris Gardens.
