Iris robusta Dark Aura

(aka: Iris virginica DeLuxe) This splendid Iris hybrid (Hewitt 96) between US natives Iris versicolor and Iris virginica quickly became one of our favorites, as well as a favorite of the Royal Horticulture Society, who awarded it the 2005 Award of Garden Merit. The deer-resistant black-purple flushed new growth expands upward to 3' tall, topped throughout May (NC) with jet black scapes that hold violet-blue flowers just above the foliage...attractive to hummingbirds. Iris 'Dark Aura' can be grown both in average garden soils or in shallow depths of standing water...simply superb.