I would love to have some of these to plant in my water garden.
They do spread so it is recommended to not let them go to seed.
One can also plant them in a confined ares to contain the rhizomes.

aquawise you should be able to grow the bearded variety in Utah. I know they did great in Colorado and Michigan.

I have over 150 colors of the bearded ones. The Russian Iris do well in wet conditions so would do great at the edge of a pond.

I think they are the same as Japanese irises, no? Iris ensata? If your friend has this problem with them I would put a barrier in to contain them. They may be easily contained by withholding water, too.

I'd never heard of Japanes iris (I. ensata) being called Russian iris. I love Japanese iris! Not nearly as invasive as I. pseudocorus, which overtakes ponds.