Yes indeedy, that's iris pseudacorus aka yellow flag. It can (and will) grow anywhere, but if it gets into water, it can go crazy and spread like wildfire. You may or may not even be able to dig it out. I have seen established clumps that were essentially impossible to dig out of the soil (I suppose a backhoe could do it).

Good luck,

Laurie

Aaaargh,all that time I "babied" my seedling--to get THIS :-( The clump has been in the ground 2 years I think, this is the first year it flowered.

I will dig it out because I don't want to grow an invasive week, no matter how beautiful.

You're in a dry climate. It won't spread so fast. I have it here in Louisiana and it's no more invasive than our native Louisiana iris or even African iris. Just divide it every two or three years. Unlike the people in the Midwest, your ground doesn't freeze, so you can dig it up anytime. Just cut off the pods after blooming to keep seeds from spreading. Migratory birds seem to like to eat the pods.

Yes, I have clump growing here in dry soil. It's an attractive iris. All I do is use a shovel and prune it back a bit. Steve in Baltimore County.

Dry climate or not, that iris grew really fast. I guess I'll think a little more about whether or not I want to keep it. If something better comes along, I know it will be the first to go. I'll definitely pick off the seed pods. Thanks

You might want to consider Black Gamecock Iris and Sinfonetta. They are both lovely purple Louisiana irises that will compliment your lovely Pseudacorus. I found both at Lowes in Baton Rouge. Lowes gets their irises from Hines Nursery in Texas. The local iris farms are fairly expensive. I have native Giant Blue Flag Louisiana iris also growing in my yard. It is a popular trade item at plant swaps and is more aggressive than Psuedacorus in Louisiana.

I thought Louisiana iris required lots of water--if not then I would love to grow them b/c they are so tall. I'll have to check the Lowes here in Sacramento and see if they even carry them.

--Melanie, who is currently very happy b/c the iris are blooming!

I had to get DH to dig out the yellow flag--those roots went DEEP! I'm glad it's gone, even though it wasn't receiving large amounts of water it was thuggishly overtaking some bearded iris nearby.

I have a HUGE clump of it, and I think its beautiful when in bloom. I also like how the foliage is neat and tidy. It is alot of work, but I think its worth it. That thing will grow beautifully where nothing else will! It is great if you have a spot where you can't get anything else to grow. Definitly pick the seed pods off if you don't want babies!

I also have one that was given to me by my aunt and I never knew what it was. It gets at least 4 ft tall and as wide, the flowers are small and yellow on very tall (5') stems. Is this Yellow Flag. It does come up all over the place. Pretty but driving me crazy.

I keep mine in check by spraying Roundup around the outer edge, likewise with the Mexican petunia. I do this whenever either begins to expand. The blooms in the center have not been affected by the spray. I pull off the outer leaves as they begin to turn brown.

Walter Moores

I have yellow flag in the stock tank that serves as a filter for my Koi pond. It got so dense that this Spring the roots were hanging over the edge and the water was leaking over the edge of the tank. I had to use a hatchet to cut through those roots. But they ARE pretty.