Is Bearded Iris deer resistant?
Iris germanica
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Bearded Iris
Rhizomes and foliage are both unpalatable, and deer leave established clumps alone even in bad winters. The mistake almost everyone makes is planting the rhizome too deep. It wants to sit half exposed, baking on the soil surface with the roots underneath. Bury it and you get healthy leaves and no flowers, year after year, with no obvious explanation. Divide in late summer, six weeks or so after flowering, cutting the leaf fans back to about six inches so the divisions do not rock in the wind. Watch for iris borer: if a fan turns mushy at the base with a foul smell, that is the caterpillar, and the answer is to lift and destroy the affected rhizome rather than spray.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Sharp, gritty. Will rot in wet soil
- Water
- Low
- Fertility
- Low
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- High
- Salt
- Moderate
- Pollinators
- Moderate
- Coastal sites
What to plant it with
Keep apart from
- Bigleaf Hydrangea
Iris rhizomes need to bake dry at the surface. Regular watering for hydrangea rots them.
Similar to Bearded Iris
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- Anise HyssopAgastache sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Basket of GoldAurinia saxatilisZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Bigleaf GoldenrayLigularia dentataZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Bleeding HeartLamprocapnos spectabilisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Butter and EggsLinaria vulgarisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- ButtercupRanunculus sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
Where Bearded Iris grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Bearded Iris belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Bearded Iris
- Is Bearded Iris deer resistant?
- Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Bearded Iris grow in?
- Bearded Iris is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Bearded Iris grow in shade?
- No. Bearded Iris wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Bearded Iris get?
- Mature height is roughly 12–48 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- When does Bearded Iris bloom?
- Bearded Iris flowers from May–June.
- Is Bearded Iris toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Bearded Iris as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.