Botanical name:

Libertia mooreae

Common name(s):

Moore’s iris, Moore’s mikoikoi

About:

L. mooreae is a compact species within the Libertia genus, making it an excellent choice for garden areas that receive partial shade. The tightly clumped green leaves, coupled with the attractive and fragrant white flowers that bloom throughout the season, make L. mooreae a remarkable plant that certainly deserves to be more widely cultivated and appreciated than it currently is in many gardening circles.

Natural habitat:

Coastal to montane areas. Usually in open, lowland forest remnants, forest margins, on steep slopes, ridge lines, bluffs, cliffs, stream banks, and river terraces.

Growing environment:

Frost, Sun, Shade, Coastal & Wind tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

New Zealand’s North, South and Stewart Islands.

Height: 40cm

Flowering: 

August – November with a reddish pink to white coloured flower/s

Fruiting:

December – February

Uses:

Bee food, Flowers & Container friendly.

How to grow:

Easily grown from fresh seed and by division of established plants. This species is tolerant of a wide range of situations - except permanently waterlogged soils. However, does best in semi-shade.

** Seed requires scarification and stratification before sowing. Hot water treatment followed by 4 weeks cold stratification works for this species.