Northwest Blooms · Irises
Iris 'Sun Shine In'
Sun Shine In Iris
- Height
- 3 feet
- Width
- 1 to 1 1/2 feet
- Flower color
- Citron yellow and creamy white with yellow beards
- Foliage color
- Grey-green, upright, sword-shaped foliage
- Bloom time
- Early midseason
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Moderate; drought tolerant once established
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 4 to 8
About this plant
Iris 'Sun Shine In' is a tall bearded iris with cheerful, heavily ruffled flowers that open in early midseason. The blooms are predominantly clear lemon yellow, with the falls becoming softer and creamier through their centers before deepening again toward the upper portions. Golden-yellow beards fade to pale cream at their tips, maintaining the flower's exceptionally clean, luminous palette. Upright, sword-shaped green foliage forms neat fans beneath the flowering stems.
Introduced in 2010 by Keith Keppel, 'Sun Shine In' received an American Iris Society Award of Merit in 2014. Its fresh yellow coloring brings brightness to sunny perennial borders and iris beds and is particularly useful for repeating through a planting to create a strong rhythm of spring color.
Works well in
Cottage Gardens · Borders · Cut Flower Gardens · Walkways · Waterwise Gardens
Companion plants
Bluebeard · Shrub rose · Purple coneflower · Garden phlox · Catmint · Blue fescue · Candytuft
Design tip
Use 'Sun Shine In' to brighten areas dominated by deeper foliage or cool flower colors. Repeating a few clumps through the border helps carry its soft yellow tones across the planting, while nearby blues and purples provide contrast without overpowering its lighter flowers.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at Schreiner's Iris Gardens.
