Libertia peregrinans

New Zealand Satin Flower Iridaceae

A wonderfully distinctive New Zealand iris, Libertia peregrinans is less about forming a static clump and more about going places. Its name, peregrinans, means “wandering” or “travelling”, an apt reference to the long, slender, yellowish stolons which creep horizontally through the soil, producing new fans of narrow, evergreen foliage at intervals. The result is a slowly roaming carpet of handsome, sword-like leaves, often flushed coppery in strong light. 

In late spring and summer, the short flowering stems carry delicate white, three-petalled flowers, each with a neat yellow centre. The flowers are held close to or just above the foliage, rather than towering over it, giving the plant a particularly naturalistic character.

Taxonomically, there is little current drama: Libertia peregrinans remains an accepted species, with the combination published by Leonard Cockayne and Harry Allan in Transactions of the New Zealand Institute 57: 56, in about 1927. It is endemic to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands and belongs to the Iris family, Iridaceae.

Grow in sun or light shade in fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Give it room to wander—it has clearly read the label.

Height: 20–30cm
Spread: 60–100cm+
Flowering: October–January
Hardiness: H5, approximately -15 to -10°C
Position: Sun or partial shade
Soil: Moist, fertile, well-drained soil