Iris Flower Meaning by Color

The iris is the flower that looks as if it was drawn rather than grown. Three petals stand up, three fall away, and down the middle of each falling petal runs a streak of gold, like a signpost. It has been carved into Egyptian temple walls, stitched onto the banners of French kings, and painted by Van Gogh in the asylum garden at Saint-Rémy. The short answer to what the iris means is faith, wisdom, hope and a message worth sending: it is named for Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow, who carried word between the gods and people, and every color of the flower adds its own shade to that meaning. This guide covers the symbolism, what each iris color means, the history from Greek myth to the Getty, when to give irises, and how to keep cut irises opening in the vase. Prefer to shop now? Browse our purple flowers and blue flowers collections, hand-arranged and delivered the same day across Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire, Ventura County, San Francisco and Honolulu.

What Irises Mean

Start with the name. In Greek myth Iris was the messenger of Hera and the gods, and she travelled on the rainbow — her name means “rainbow”, and the flower was named for her because it comes in nearly every color the sky can produce. So the oldest meaning of an iris is the simplest: a message. In the Victorian language of flowers, sending someone an iris said I have something to tell you, or, more warmly, your friendship means a great deal to me.

The second layer is faith, wisdom and valor. The iris has three upright petals, called standards, and three that curve downward, called falls, and for centuries those three standards were read as the three virtues. The reading was popular in medieval Europe, where the iris was also a flower of the Virgin Mary — its sword-shaped leaves stood for the sorrows that pierced her heart — and it is why irises appear so often in religious paintings of the period.

Put together, the iris sends a quieter, more grown-up message than a rose: I admire you, I trust you, and I wanted you to know. That is why we reach for it for a mentor, a parent, a long friendship or a promotion. A bouquet like Iris Dream, where deep violet irises sit in a cloud of white chamomile, says it without a card at all — the chamomile adds patience and good wishes, and the contrast makes the blue look bluer.

One more thing the iris shares with its goddess: hope. Iris appeared after storms, and the rainbow was her road. That gives the flower a natural place in get-well bouquets and in sympathy work, where it says that light comes back — gently, without pretending the storm did not happen.

Iris Color Meanings

The rainbow goddess left the iris more colors than almost any other flower: more than three hundred species, and tens of thousands of named garden varieties, many of them bearded irises bred for shows. Cut-flower irises — almost always Dutch iris, Iris × hollandica — come in a narrower range, but the meanings follow the full palette.

Purple irises mean wisdom, royalty and admiration. Purple was the costliest dye of the ancient world, and a purple iris carries that sense of respect: it is a compliment more than a declaration. Send purple for a graduation, a new job or someone you look up to.

Blue irises mean faith and hope. True blue is rare in flowers — most “blue” blooms are really violet — and the iris is one of the few that comes close, which is part of its appeal. Blue is the color we use most in sympathy and get-well work, and the one that looks most striking against white. Marine Breeze is built on exactly that contrast: periwinkle irises and steel-blue eryngium threaded through white roses and hydrangea, in a pearl hat box.

White irises mean purity, innocence and remembrance. They are a beautiful wedding flower, and in memorial arrangements they speak of respect without heaviness. Pair them with white roses and hydrangea for the cleanest look.

Yellow irises mean passion, warmth and friendship. The wild yellow flag iris is the plant most historians believe sits behind the fleur-de-lis, and in a bouquet yellow brings the energy that blue alone does not — the same lift that daffodils give in spring.

Pink and peach irises mean romance and affection, and are mostly found in garden bearded varieties rather than in the florist's cooler. Bicolor and bearded irises — a white standard over a violet fall, a bronze bloom veined in plum — carry no single Victorian meaning, which is why they suit a person who does not fit one. If you are choosing between colors across different flowers, our rose color meanings guide is the natural companion to this one.

From the Goddess Iris to French Kings and Van Gogh

Greece. Iris was more than a messenger. Among her duties, in some tellings, was to lead the souls of women to the afterlife, and the Greeks planted purple irises on women's graves so the goddess would find them. That old tradition is the root of the iris's place in memorial flowers today — see our seasonal memorial flowers guide for how we use it.

Egypt. Thutmose III is said to have brought irises back from his campaigns in Syria, and the botanical reliefs of his festival hall at Karnak show plants that are often identified as irises. Whatever the exact species, the Egyptians read the three upright petals as faith, wisdom and valor — the same reading Europe would arrive at much later.

France. The fleur-de-lis, the three-petalled emblem of the French crown from the twelfth century onward, is almost certainly a stylized yellow flag iris rather than a lily. Legend credits Clovis, the first king of the Franks, with adopting it after irises growing in a river showed his army a safe place to cross. Louis VII took it as his royal badge, and the “flower of Louis” became, in one popular etymology, the fleur-de-lis.

Van Gogh — and Los Angeles. In May 1889, in his first week at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy, Vincent van Gogh painted the irises growing in the hospital garden. He called painting them “the lightning conductor for my illness”. Irises set a world auction record when it sold in 1987, and since 1990 it has hung at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles — so the most famous iris in the world is a short drive from our studio. If you have never stood in front of it, it is worth the trip up the hill.

Our Kate bouquet is a softer, modern take on the same flower: pale lavender irises among blush roses, white chrysanthemums and clouds of butter-yellow and lilac statice, wrapped in lilac paper — closer to a garden in April than to a royal banner.

When to Give Irises

February birthdays. The iris is one of the two February birth flowers, sharing the month with the violet — both faithful, both purple, both quietly wise. Our February birth flower guide covers the pair; in the year the iris is the bridge between winter and the first spring flowers.

A 25th anniversary. The iris is the traditional flower of the silver anniversary — twenty-five years of faith and hope, which is exactly what it means. Blue and white irises with white roses make the silver theme without any silver ribbon. Browse the anniversary collection for more ideas.

Congratulations and respect. Purple irises for a graduation, a promotion, a retirement, a doctor or a teacher who changed something. The message is admiration rather than romance, which makes irises one of the safest flowers to send to a colleague.

Sympathy and remembrance. Blue and white irises are among the gentlest choices for a funeral or a memorial, and they carry the old Greek promise of a guide for the journey. They sit naturally beside the white roses and lilies of our funeral flowers.

Easter and spring. Irises are a spring flower first, and the purple of Easter season. At Easter they sit naturally beside lilies, tulips and daffodils.

Weddings. White and pale blue irises give a bridal bouquet a clean, architectural line and an easy “something blue”. They work best mixed with softer flowers — garden roses, ranunculus, sweet peas.

Iris Season and How to Keep Them Opening

In the garden, irises are a spring flower: bearded irises bloom from April to June, Dutch irises from late winter into May, and in Southern California the season starts early. Cut Dutch irises, though, are grown in greenhouses year-round, so we can build with blue and purple irises in October as easily as in April. The LA Flower Market has the widest choice from February to May, and our seasonal flowers calendar shows where irises sit against everything else in the year.

Cut irises reward a little attention. Buy them in bud. The ideal stage is the “pencil” — a closed, slim bud with a stripe of color showing at the tip. A fully open iris looks wonderful on day one and is gone by day three. Recut the stems at an angle and give them shallow, fresh water; iris stems soften if they stand deep. Pinch off each spent bloom — many stems carry a second bud, and it will open only once the first flower is removed. Keep them cool, out of direct sun and away from a fruit bowl.

Expect four to six days from a vase of irises, and plan around it: in a mixed bouquet like Millie, where purple irises sit among coral and yellow roses, chamomile and feathery solidago, the irises open first and the roses carry on after them. For the vase in general, our guide to keeping fresh flowers longer covers the rest.

A note for pet owners: irises are toxic to cats and dogs, with the rhizome the most dangerous part. A cut flower in a vase is a much smaller risk than a garden bed, but if you have a cat that chews leaves, choose from our cat-safe flowers instead.

My Thoughts — a Florist's Perspective on Irises

Irises are the flower I use to fix a bouquet that has gone too sweet. Pink roses, white chamomile, a little statice — lovely, but soft all the way through. Add five irises and the whole thing sits up straight. The line of the stem, the sharp blue, that stripe of gold on every petal: it gives the eye somewhere to land. Almost every bouquet in this article was built that way.

The question I get most is whether irises are “old-fashioned”. I understand why — for years they were the flower in a hotel lobby arrangement, stiff and alone. But mixed loosely with garden flowers, they look like a meadow in April, and younger customers who have never been given one are always surprised by how much they like them. The blue in particular: nothing else in the cooler does that color.

My honest advice is about timing. Irises are fleeting, and I would rather you knew it before the bouquet arrives. We send them in bud so the recipient watches them open over two or three days, and if you pinch off the faded flowers, a second bloom often follows. Treat it as a short, bright show rather than a two-week fixture — and pair irises with longer-lasting flowers when you want the bouquet to carry on.

And one design rule: let them stand. Irises have the most beautiful profile of any cut flower, and the worst thing you can do is bury it. Keep them a little taller than everything around them, and let the blue float.

FAQ

What Does the Iris Flower Symbolize?

Faith, wisdom, hope, courage and communication. The name comes from Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods, so in the Victorian language of flowers an iris meant I have a message for you. The three upright petals have long been read as faith, wisdom and valor, which is why the iris also became a flower of royalty and of respect.

What Do the Different Iris Colors Mean?

Purple irises mean wisdom, royalty and admiration; blue, faith and hope; white, purity, innocence and remembrance; yellow, passion, warmth and friendship; pink, romance and affection; and bicolor or bearded varieties, individuality. Blue and purple are the classic colors and the ones you will find year-round in a florist's cooler.

Is the Iris a Birth Flower?

Yes — the iris is one of the two February birth flowers, alongside the violet, and the two share a palette and a meaning of faithfulness and wisdom. The iris is also the traditional flower for a 25th wedding anniversary, and it is the state flower of Tennessee.

Is the Fleur-de-Lis an Iris?

Almost certainly. The fleur-de-lis — literally “flower of the lily” — is the stylized emblem of the French monarchy, and most historians agree it represents a yellow flag iris rather than a true lily. One popular theory links the name to the river Lys in Flanders, where wild irises grew along the banks.

How Long Do Cut Irises Last?

Usually four to six days, with each bloom open for two or three of them. Buy irises in bud — the “pencil” stage, with a stripe of color showing — recut the stems, keep the water shallow and fresh, and pinch off each spent bloom so the next bud on the stem can open. Keep them cool and out of direct sun.

Are Irises Toxic to Cats and Dogs?

Yes. The ASPCA lists irises as toxic to cats, dogs and horses; the rhizomes and bulbs carry the highest concentration of the irritating compounds, but chewing leaves or flowers can cause drooling, vomiting and diarrhea. If you are sending to a home with pets, tell us and we will build from our pet-safe list instead.

Are Irises Appropriate for a Funeral?

Yes — they are one of the most fitting sympathy flowers. In ancient Greece irises were planted on women's graves so that the goddess Iris would guide the soul on its journey, and white and blue irises still mean faith, hope and remembrance. They pair well with white roses, lilies and hydrangea in a calm blue-and-white tribute.

Conclusion

The iris means faith, wisdom and hope — and, most of all, a message: it is named for the rainbow goddess who carried word between gods and people. Purple for wisdom and admiration, blue for faith and hope, white for purity and remembrance, yellow for passion and warmth, pink for romance. It is a February birth flower, the 25th-anniversary flower, the likely original of the fleur-de-lis and the subject of one of the most famous paintings in Los Angeles. It gives you a few bright days in the vase, and a meaning that lasts much longer.

Pink Clover hand-arranges every order in its own studios and delivers the same day across Los Angeles, Orange County, the Inland Empire, Ventura County, San Francisco and Honolulu, with a photo of the finished arrangement before it leaves. Ask for irises by name, or let our purple flowers and seasonal flowers collections do the choosing. For more flower meanings, read our dahlia flower meaning guide.

Sources and further reading: Wikipedia: Iris (plant) · Wikipedia: Language of flowers

Shop Iris Bouquets Near You

Irises go into some of our favorite designs: Iris Dream in violet and white for a birthday or a thank-you, Marine Breeze in blue and white for sympathy or an anniversary, Kate in soft pastels, and Millie for a bright garden bouquet. Browse the whole purple flowers collection or our blue flowers, add a note with the occasion, and we will send a photo of the finished arrangement before it goes out.