Candy lilies (Iris ×norrisii) are fun, easy-to-grow, underused perennials that bloom in gumdrop colors.
I grew them in my garden in Kentucky and became smitten; now that I’m settled into a new garden in Portland, Oregon, I’m ready to turn that romance into a full-fledged obsession.
They’ll grow pretty much anywhere, asking only for full sun, soil with decent drainage, and average water. They’re hardy to Zone 5.
If you didn’t gloss over that Latin name, you noticed that this plant isn’t a lily at all, but an iris. You may have also noticed that it was a hybrid.
They were hybridized by the late plant breeder Sam Norris of Kentucky, who crossed the seldom grown lilac-colored vesper iris (Pardanthopsis dichotoma) with the orange-freckled blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis) to come up with the colorful hybrids that were known as ×Pardancanda norrisii, or candy lily.
Pardanthopsis dichotoma has since been renamed Iris dichotoma, and Belamcanda chinensis has been renamed Iris domestica, so now candy lilies are simply called Iris ×norrisii.
Have you guessed yet that it’s the colors and patterns that have me enthralled? I want to start hybridizing these myself and see what other cool color combos I can come up with. It seems like it would be pretty easy to do; the flower structure is quite simple.
Joseph Tychoneivich’s excellent book, Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener, will show you how to do it if you want to try it yourself.
I’ll admit my candy lilies got a little floppy when I grew them in Kentucky. They get about 3 ft. tall and do need some discrete staking or at least some other strong plants to lean on. Or you can grow a dwarf form, like these cuties from the ‘Dazzler’ series.
Like bearded irises, they can get iris borers, but otherwise they’re pretty much pest-free.
In the Cincinnati area (Zone 6), candy lilies usually start to bloom around the 4th of July and finish up in early August.
The bee in this photo is after the Monarda fistulosa; bees don’t seem to care for candy lilies, but hummingbirds do like them. The yellow flower in the background belongs to Inula helenium.
One of my favorite quotes from renowned garden designer Piet Oudolf is that we should seek out plants that “live well and die well.” Although he was talking more about plants that have structural interest in the winter, I think of that quote when I see candy lilies because of the way their flowers age.
Their blooms only last one day, but then they twist up in the most charming way—first a loose twist…
and then a tighter one.
Eventually green pods form, which gradually turn beige and split open to reveal the “blackberry” fruits which give their blackberry lily parent its name.
The fruits are showy from mid-August to early October (in the Lower Midwest).
Oh, yeah, the foliage is pretty, too! These are some plants I started from seed about six months ago. Only one has bloomed so far.
Candy lilies are easy to grow from seed, which is the way to grow a wide assortment of colors economically. You’ll want to stratify the seeds over the winter, which is a plant-nerdy way to say, “Put them in a baggy in the fridge with some barely moist sand or peat moss.”
I sowed mine under fluorescent lights indoors to give them a head start, but you can also sow them outdoors, and they’ll sprout when it gets warm enough.
They will self-sow a little in your garden, but not obnoxiously.
Could you possibly have too many anyway?
Great post! I loved all the background info. I didn’t know they had been renamed to Iris and I didn’t know there were so many colors! Now I want to grow some from seed myself.
Janet, Parks Seed has done a lot of breeding work with these, but it appears they’re sold out of seed right now. Keep your eyes out for other sources!
So we should check Park Seed later in the season? Are there any other sources? I bought my first Candy Lily, a gallon pot of Pardancanda ‘Sangria’ about a month ago. It’s blooming now and I’m smitten bad! Yours are to die for Amy. Great post.
Grace, Chiltern Seeds in the UK lists them, too. I want to find as many sources as possible so I have as much diversity as possible for breeding. Let me know if you find another source!
They’re fantastic!!! I am now especially excited to have adopted one of your babies.
Mindy, Hope you got a good one. You never know what you’re gonna get!
I grow the blackberry lilies and I love them. I love that little twist when they’re done. What a classy plant. 🙂
They’re just perfect. Cute at all stages!
I am in southern Indiana and my candy lilies are about 4 years old. Even though the plants look great, they have never bloomed. What should I do to help them along.
They get about 6 hours of sun and are well drained.
Hmmm… in your climate, they should have bloomed by the second if not the first year. I’m really puzzled. Too much nitrogen fertilizer maybe? If they are getting plenty of sun, I can’t think of anything else that would prevent them from blooming. They don’t have any flowers at all?
I have a personal love for the Pardancanda X Norrisii. Mr. Samual Norris was my great uncle. He got me hooked on gardening and hybridizing at an early age. Glad you share the love as well. Just to let you know the Belamcanda chinensis parent was the solid yellow variety. He couldn’t get the blackberry lily to cross so he ordered the solid yellow seed from China and the rest is history.
I just read your post while researching this plant for my garden. I have another source for you. I heard about it from emails I receive from Sunrise Greenhouse in Grant Park, IL. This is my favorite place to buy flowers and they sell it in perennial form, not from seed. Thanks!
Well patience pays off! They are blooming beautifully!
How have you gotten so many colors? I have ordered the seeds from parks several times. Every time I get mostly orange to reddish that look very much like the common blackberry lily. I was excited last year. Finally got one that was light pink. All the rest looked pretty much orange again. ;/
I’ve had the same luck as you – Park’s is generally the only reputable seed source that lists them, and in my experience the seeds provided yield no variation apart from orange to reddish. I’d suspect that the orangish color is simply the result of a dominant allele, although this may be addressed somewhere on the internet already.
Definitely one of the most underrated and easy to grow perennials. Just limited- to nonexistent-availability from sources.
I live in Indiana and mine just got done blooming….partially to severe heat I think…I have many pods. Should I cut and dry them a bit first prior to placing in fridge I’m assuming? I planted some seeds indoors last March and some grew a bit, but then died off. I did not refrigerate them though. And YES they are lovely!
Love lilies 🙂 I grow some candy lilies at home they are feeling really happy! can i post pic?
I am a Candy lily hybridizer. I love them too. There are so many color patterns.
Are you willing to share? I have been looking for some
Hi, I wanted to let you know I found your article about growing candy lilies very helpful. Thank you, Richard
could I use your photos in my paper?
I just bought some seeds from park seeds and I’m wondering for how long you kept your seeds in the fridge ? Is one month enough or you wait till they germinate and then remove to room temperature ?
Amy,
Would you sell some seeds to fellow gardeners.? These plants are so easy to grow.
I bought about 40 seeds from an Ebay seller last year and while the seller showed many colors all I received were the common blackberry lily.
so again would you sell?
About 50 years ago Candy or Pardancanda lilies were far more colorful than anything I find currently. So much more beautiful words cannot express the difference. I learned at that time, you could NEVER let them go to seed because they would lose their amazing colors and begin to lose their extremely unique variations in color. I recall electric yellow petals and shocking red. Or intense bright purple with tangerine. 3 petals had one color and the other 3 petals totally different color. So I’ve searched online and apparently there are NONE of the original colors still available. If anybody remembers them as I do, I’d love to hear about it. If ANYONE has them, I’d be willing to buy some if they’re as they used to be.
Mr. Miller,
If you want the original color patterns then cross pardanthopsis ditchotima and belamcanda chinensis (solid yellow variety) again. Then back cross the hybrids with the blackberry lily and the solid yellow parent. The babies will be what you remembered.
Mr. Miller,
Repeat the cross between Pardanthopsis dichotoma and the solid yellow Belamcanda chinensis. Then cross the hybrids with the blackberry lily and the solid yellow variety. The babies will start to show the color and patterns you remembered. Just keep crossing the ones you like. The species iris group of North American has a seed swap every year and you can get the seed for pardanthopsis and belamcanda.
I received a bag of candy Lily seeds from a friend and I sowed them in a starter soil, then transplanted to larger container. I’m wondering if I should bring them inside this winter (live in MN). They are about three inches high.
Not sure about young plants but mature Candy Lilies are hardy to about Zone 5. However, I learned many years ago that they are hybrids and should not be allowed to seed because they soon revert back to a boring Blackberry Lily type color. Mine were extraordinary colors of vivid yellow/red, pink/purple and so on. I’ve never seen them since and I had moved away so I figured I could order more. NONE of the ones I’ve seen are even 25% as amazing as they used to be in the mid 70’s. If you find any, please let me know.
You might try Plant Delights in NC; I’ve seen candy lilies there. I believe you can order from them online. https://www.plantdelights.com/collections/pardancanda
KG…that’s a great suggestion to check Plant Delights.
A little story…I stumbled on this post by chance. I’ve never heard of these gems. In April I visited the NC State Arboretum (amazing!) They had a basket filled with a variety of free seeds. I was just looking up what I grabbed which led me to this blog. I’m sooooo excited to get these started. To tie it all together-the head gardener told me about Plant Delights and their semi-annual open house. I went…amazing. What a great place to purchase items via mail order.
Your post made this a full 360 me for me…and also that you posted this today!!! Happy growing!
AS in Durham