Iris confusa Chengdu
It's a rare occurrence that I know the proper name of one of my unusual plants. This slowly spreading foliage iris, Iris confusa 'Chengdu', was bought from a small nursery south of Moosey's Garden, in Dunedin. What pretty pale blue flowers!
Iris Confusa Chengdu
It's a tall, floppy thing, and in my garden it drapes itself rather comfortably over a chunky Miscanthus grass near the water. This plant may not be rare, but I don't think it's particularly well-known or grown much in New Zealand. I like it a lot, anyway, and it's slowly spreading and filling out. Nice!
Iris Confusa Chengdu
This may not be the iris for you if you like a well-manicured garden. It's as messy as a teenager's bedroom...
Update...
I left Iris confusa alone for years and years, and naturally it spread here, there, and everywhere. But finally the sheer messiness started to annoy me. In the early months of 2026 I dug it all out - this took almost a week of spade-slicing and and pulling. No regrets. Now there are just a few pretty pale blue flowers now left by the water.