From the ground up: A little something different for the garden

My favorite plant? This is a question I get a lot. I used to laugh and say it is like choosing my favorite child, but I think I have stumbled upon a favorite. (Plant, not child.)

About this time every summer, a delightful little flower pops up in my sensory garden. The Blackberry Lily, Iris domestica, is an herbaceous perennial that grows in full sun in zones 5 to 10 with little maintenance. It reaches about 3 feet high and spreads about 2 feet. Neither a berry nor a lily, this plant is a real treat. It also is called a leopard lily or leopard plant. Since 2005 it has been reclassified as an iris and looks like one popping up with flat leaf fans, and a bloom similar to an orange orchid. It spreads readily by rhizomes. I planted two last year and have two large collections of six-plus plants in each spot now. They love well drained rich soil and will provide a July to August splash of showy color. They are short lived so I also let them seed themselves to maintain a presence in my garden. So far, the evil Japanese beetles have left them alone and the heat doesn't phase them.

When I first saw them, with their delicate orange and red speckled petals, I wondered where the moniker Blackberry Lily came from. When these beauties are spent, their blooms twist into an interesting form and eventually a hip forms. As the flower dries out, the hip grows into a seed structure that resembles a full-sized blackberry nestled in a filmy dried out husk. It turns a gorgeous shiny deep purple to black color and offers an interesting fall accent. I have even brought them in for cut flower bouquets.

A native of China, the Blackberry Lily is a staple in Chinese folk medicine and is being studied by doctors for its use in medicinal ways. Sometime in the 19th century, this plant escaped cultivation in the United States and became so common that it was thought to be a native species. In some areas, it has become naturalized and considered invasive.

In my garden, I keep it under control with pruning out the plants that pop up where I don't wish them. But I can tell you, this little sweetheart is fast becoming a star of my garden and its hearty little flowers stand up to heat and storm. It looks great against collections of Mondara (bee balm) and Echinacea (cone flower).

If you're looking for a new plant to add to your garden, look to the Blackberry Lily for a fun multi-season focal plant. But don't let the other plants know it's your favorite. No need to make them jealous.

l For questions, call the Linn County Extension Master Gardener Hortline at (319) 447-0647.