NZ iris (Libertia)
A hardy, clumping perennial with sword-like foliage and starry white spring/summer flowers that mature into ornamental golden seed pods for year-round interest. Drought-tolerant once established and copes with full sun to part shade, making it a genuinely low-maintenance native border or mass planting.
- Sun
- full sun
- Water
- low
- Spacing
- 40cm
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Grows in
- Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Hamilton / Waikato, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Napier / Hawke's Bay, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago, Invercargill / Southland
- Mature height
- 60cm
- Flowering season
- Oct, Nov, Dec
- Attracts wildlife
- Native bees
- Evergreen
- Yes
When to plant by region
In Whangārei / Northland, Auckland, Tauranga / Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Napier / Hawke's Bay: March-April and September-November. In Hamilton / Waikato, New Plymouth / Taranaki, Palmerston North / Manawatū-Whanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman, Blenheim / Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch / Canterbury, Dunedin / Otago and Invercargill / Southland: September-November.
Growing stages
Planting & establishmentFirst few months
- Water while establishing; drought tolerance develops once settled in
- Copes with full sun to part shade, so it's flexible on position
Early growthFirst 1-2 years
- Growth is clumping, so give the sword-like foliage room to form a full clump
- Low-maintenance from early on, needing little intervention
Flowering & seed podsOctober-December (November-December further south)
- Starry white flowers appear in spring and summer, drawing native bees
- Flowers mature into ornamental golden seed pods that provide year-round interest
- Very drought-tolerant and low-maintenance once established