Siberian Iris ‘Snow Queen’ (Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’)

Siberian Iris ‘Snow Queen’ (Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’)

A graceful Siberian Iris with pure white flowers, golden yellow throats and upright green foliage, ideal for damp pondside borders and moist garden planting.

Elegant white iris flowers for damp pond edges, moist borders and wildlife friendly gardens

Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’ is a beautiful clump forming perennial grown for its elegant white flowers and slender upright foliage. This refined Siberian Iris produces pure white blooms with golden yellow throats in late spring to early summer, creating a bright and graceful display in damp borders, pondside planting areas and natural garden schemes.

This is not an aquatic pond plant and should not be planted directly into the pond or submerged below the water surface. Instead, it is best grown in moist but well drained soil around the pond edge, in damp garden borders, cottage style planting, wildlife gardens and mixed perennial beds. It enjoys soil that stays slightly damp, but it does not like sitting in stagnant or waterlogged ground for long periods.

The clean white flowers make ‘Snow Queen’ especially useful for brightening pondside planting. White blooms stand out beautifully against green foliage, dark pond water, shaded corners and softer natural planting. The golden yellow markings add warmth to the flowers without overpowering their simple, elegant appearance.

The strap like mid green leaves form an upright clump and provide structure before and after flowering. This makes Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’ a good choice for customers who want a plant that contributes to the garden for more than just a short flowering window. It works well beside ferns, Astilbes, Primulas, Cowslips, Heucheras, Hostas, Hellebores and other moisture loving pondside plants.

Unlike some marginal irises, Siberian Iris prefers damp soil rather than standing water. It is ideal for the soft planting around a pond, where the soil is naturally cooler and more moisture retentive. In drier gardens, improve the planting area with compost or well rotted organic matter before planting, then mulch each spring to help keep moisture in the soil.

Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’ is fully hardy and suitable for a wide range of UK gardens. It will grow in full sun or partial shade, with the best flowering usually achieved where it receives good light and consistent moisture. Over time, it forms a neat clump that can be divided if it becomes crowded.

Please note that Iris plants can be harmful if eaten by humans or pets. Wearing gloves when handling is sensible, especially when dividing or cutting back plants.

🇬🇧 UK-grown aquatic plant: Grown at a dedicated aquatic plant nursery in the South of England and carefully prepared for delivery across the UK.

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Key Benefits

• Pure white flowers with golden yellow throats
• Elegant late spring to early summer flowering
• Upright strap like green foliage
• Ideal for damp pondside borders and moist garden soil
• Helps brighten darker planting schemes
• Fully hardy in UK gardens
• Suitable for full sun or partial shade
• Clump forming and easy to manage
• Excellent for cottage gardens, wildlife gardens and naturalistic planting
• Works well with ferns, Astilbes, Primulas and other moisture loving plants
• Good alternative where a customer wants iris style flowers without planting in water

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Reasons to Buy Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’

• Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’ is a lovely choice if you want a clean, elegant iris for the damp ground around a pond. The white flowers look fresh and bright, while the golden yellow throat gives the blooms just enough colour to stand out.
• It is especially useful for pondside planting where a true marginal pond iris may not be needed. Rather than sitting in the water, this iris grows best in moist garden soil, making it perfect for the planted area just beyond the pond edge.
• This variety is also a good option for mixed borders. It combines beautifully with both soft foliage and stronger flowering plants, helping create a natural, layered look around the pond or damp garden area.
• For the best display, plant in small groups or repeat through a border. Several plants together will create a stronger effect than a single plant on its own.

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Care Instructions

• Plant Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’ in full sun or partial shade. A bright position will usually give the best flowering, although partial shade is suitable where the soil remains moist.
• Choose moist but well drained soil. This iris enjoys damp ground, but it should not be planted in deep water or permanently waterlogged soil.
• If your soil is dry or light, dig in compost, leaf mould or well rotted organic matter before planting. This helps improve moisture retention and gives the plant a better start.
• Water thoroughly after planting and keep the soil moist during the first growing season. Once established, Siberian Iris is fairly easy to care for, but it will still benefit from watering during long dry spells.
• Remove old flower stems after flowering. Allow healthy foliage to remain in place while it continues feeding the plant.
• In autumn, remove dying foliage once it has started to collapse naturally. If cutting back in spring instead, take care not to damage new shoots.
• Divide mature clumps from midsummer to early autumn if they become overcrowded or flowering begins to reduce.

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Flowering Period

Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’ usually flowers from late spring to early summer, often around May to June depending on weather and growing conditions.

The flowers are pure white with golden yellow throats. Flowering performance will depend on plant maturity, light levels, soil moisture and seasonal weather.

Plants are not always supplied in flower. If dispatched outside the flowering period, they may arrive as leafy plants or may be naturally cut back depending on the season.

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Size, Spread and Growing Conditions

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Moisture-Loving Plant Guidance

Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’ is a moisture loving garden plant rather than a marginal pond plant.

Marginal pond plants are usually placed into aquatic baskets and positioned on pond shelves, with their roots sitting in shallow water. Siberian Iris should be planted outside the pond in moist soil, damp borders or pondside planting areas.

It likes the soil to remain cool and slightly damp, but the crown should not be submerged. Avoid planting in standing water or in ground that stays waterlogged for long periods.

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Your Plant on Arrival

Your Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’ will arrive in a pot, ready to be planted into moist garden soil.

Plant size and appearance will vary depending on the time of year. In spring and early summer, plants may arrive with fresh foliage and may be approaching flowering. Later in the season, flowering may have finished and foliage may naturally begin to decline. In autumn and winter, the plant may be cut back or dormant.

This is normal for a hardy herbaceous perennial. When planted in suitable conditions, it should return with fresh growth in spring.

Plant promptly into prepared soil and water thoroughly after planting.

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Dispatching Your Plants

Plants are carefully selected, watered and packed before dispatch. As living plants, the amount of visible growth, foliage height and flowering stage will naturally vary throughout the year.

Plants are not always supplied in flower. Flowering depends on the season, plant maturity and nursery conditions at the time of packing.

Unpack your plant promptly when it arrives and check that the compost is moist. If you cannot plant straight away, keep it in a cool, sheltered position and water as needed.

Do not allow the pot or rootball to dry out. Plant as soon as practical into moist but well drained soil around a pond edge, damp border or suitable garden planting area.

Planting depth: 0cm — plant beside the pond in reliably moist soil, not in standing water. Botanical note: The accepted name is Iris sanguinea ‘Snow Queen’; Iris sibirica ‘Snow Queen’ is recorded as a synonym.

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Similar pond plants

For another pond-edge planting option, compare Her Highness Louisiana Iris (Iris louisiana) and Slender Tufted Sedge (Carex acuta). Explore the Iris pond plant group to compare the whole collection.

Explore more marginal pond plants or browse our complete pond plants range. Need baskets, aquatic soil or planting essentials? Browse our pond plant baskets and aquatic planting supplies.