BBC Gardeners' World

Plant details

• Common Name: Stinking gladwyn
• Genus: Iris
• Species: foetidissima
• Skill Level: experienced
• Exposure: partial shade, shade
• Hardiness: hardy
• Soil type: moist, well-drained/light
• Height: 0.75m
• Spread: 0.45m
• Time to plant seeds: September to May
• Time to divide plants: June to August

This Iris species is useful for shade, including dry heavy shade under trees, thriving where few other plants survive. Seedpods split open in autumn to reveal rows of orange-red seeds that remain well into winter. For the rest of the time, the architectural evergreen foliage looks superb teamed with other shade lovers such as Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae and, under deciduous trees, dwarf spring flowering bulbs. The species is less remarkable than some of its forms, especially var. citrina and 'Variegata'. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).