• Image of Iris cristata 'Merle's Ruby'|Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC|JLBG

    Photo by JLBG taken at Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC

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Iris cristata 'Merle's Ruby'

Merle's Ruby Crested Woodland Iris

This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.

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Item #: 10193

Zones: 3a to 8b

Dormancy: Winter

Height: 8" tall

Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade

Origin: United States

Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)


(aka: Iris cristata 'Merle's Wine') Iris cristata 'Merle's Ruby' is a superb and truly unique selection of the US native woodland iris with an intriguing story. It was sold as early as 2003 by Minnesota's Rice Creek, who got it from a local friend, Merle Kratoska. Merle K. purchased the plant from another unidentified "Merle" in North Carolina, who reportedly found it in the wild. This is where the tale runs cold. We can tell you that it has performed admirably in our trials, forming a compact 8" tall x 2' wide patch smothered in rich lavender flowers in April (NC). Good drainage and a humorous rich soil give the best results...a test to see if anyone is actually reading this.