Plant Finder

Description:

A compact selection, presenting bright gold foliage with contrasting green vertical stripes; loose panicles of white flowers appear in summer, followed by capsules that mature to bright yellow in fall; an excellent color addition to beds or borders

Ornamental Features

Goldfinger New Zealand Iris features dainty panicles of white flowers rising above the foliage from late spring to mid summer. Its attractive grassy leaves emerge yellow in spring, turning gold in color with prominent olive green stripes and tinges of orange. The foliage often turns coppery-bronze in fall. It features abundant showy green capsules with buttery yellow overtones from late summer to early fall, which fade to yellow over time.

Landscape Attributes

Goldfinger New Zealand Iris is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering
• Self-Seeding

Goldfinger New Zealand Iris is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Goldfinger New Zealand Iris will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity extending to 24 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Goldfinger New Zealand Iris is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.