Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Herbaceous Perennial

Iris 'Snowcrest' (Sib)

Siberian iris 'Snowcrest'

A rhizomatous, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial with upright, flat, bright green leaves and erect stems, growing to 90cm tall, bearing elegant white flowers with yellow markings at the base of the lower petals, known as falls

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
9 suppliers

Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Poorly–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Iridaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming, Columnar upright
Potentially harmful: Harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Harmful if eaten. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Iris may be rhizomatous or bulbous perennials, with narrow leaves and erect stems bearing flowers with 3 large spreading or pendent fall petals, alternating with 3 erect, often smaller, standard petals, in late winter, spring or early summer
Name status: Unresolved
Horticultural Group: Sibirica irises are rhizomatous perennials, to 1.2m tall, with narrow leaves and erect stems bearing up to 5 beardless flowers 6-7cm wide in early summer. Form and colour vary considerably among cultivars

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in any moist but not waterlogged, neutral to slightly acidic soil in full sun or partial shade. In drier soils, dig in well-rotted manure before planting and apply as a mulch each spring

Propagation

Propagate by division of the rhizome shortly from mid-summer to early autumn. See dividing irises

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Low Maintenance
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds
Garden edging
Wall side borders

Pruning

Cut back old flower stems after flowering and remove dying foliage in autumn

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs and snails

Diseases

May be susceptible to aphid-borne viruses, bacterial soft rot and grey moulds; see Iris diseases

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.