Yes, it's a bearded iris. Probably a tall bearded. Looks a lot like Mary Frances, one of my favorites.

In moist soil beardeds are prone to iris rot. They like sun (at least 6 hrs.) and soil that dries between soakings.
Flower buds begin forming in the rhizome the previous year.

Gorgeous iris!

thank you so much Iris_gal!!! At least I know now that it's a bearded iris ...

It is 36 inches tall. I looked up Mary Frances and it is beautiful too .... I like the advice given to other posters that when trying to identify an Iris buy a named one that is very similar and grow them side by side. :)

thank you for telling me what the plant wants.... not hard baked clay and never watering and/or shade. (I have 1 iris sunbaking in clay - and 1 in shade, also clay. I will move them too.)

Since the flower on this iris was formed the summer before then it probably would have been ok-ish where I had it - good soil but only 2-3 hours of sun and gale force winds. I think it flowers every 2 or 3 years. (but) It does need better conditions and I really don't want to lose it, this one is my favorite.

Would anyone recommend placing Iris in a dry rose bed (not watered) or in a large container? Should I treat it like a succulent and use gravel/rocks in the soil?

thank you . silvana.

Clay is nasty. I have been improving my adobe over time. I think my older beardeds performed because I only gave them an overnight soak when the top 6 inches of soil dried. I had prepared the 1st bed by spading in 2 inches of compost down about 12 inches (16inches would have been better). Our adobe holds the nutrients which is the good news. And throughout the year I spade in kitchen compost in any available spot.

My hybrid tea roses don't mind the clay one bit and they get their soaking at the same time as the beardeds planted with them. It's a good combo.

Many succulents, not all, will take more drought than beardeds. Gravel in clay soil doesn't really create good drainage. Organic matter is the best. But not peat in clay soils! Dead leaves I love. But they break down fast. If I could find nitrogen reinforced sawdust again I'd be a happy camper. It breaks down slower and therefore keeps the soil looser plus helps counteract our alkalinity.

Everytime you dig you're creating air pockets. Roots like oxygen.

Oh, containers & tall beardeds. A barrel half would work. Those rhizomes like to travel :-) The dwarf beardeds can take a smaller container. They would love your cold winters. Regular feeding is necessary as nutrients wash out of pots.

:), I hate clay too, I think the only thing that would help break it up is dynamite. With one of my beds I had some guys dig 2 feet and replace it with top soil, the other beds I've built up higher with mounds of soil.

for the iris I'm thinking that the better solution would be to build up a bed with large rocks and fill in with well draining topsoil. I don't have a lot of irises maybe 5 or 6 pieces so they won't need a huge amount of room.

i'm also thinking of buying some kind of garden panel and maybe lining it with clear plastic and attaching it to the fence to serve as a windbreak only for spring.

ps: I think that enough rotting leaves over 50 years might be helpful ... there's parts of my garden which naturally collect a lot of leaves and there the soil is more crumbly.

I don't know about where to get saw dust but maybe woodchips would be an idea... but as for me i'm probably a lazy gardener and prefer to build up the soil or plant things that don't mind clay.

cold is useful it kills a lot of bugs.

:)