This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.

• Position: full sun or partial shade
• Soil: well-drained, moderately fertile soil
• Rate of growth: fast-growing
• Flowering period: June
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  Stunning beads of bright orange berries, emerge from unassuming, leathery seedpods bringing a welcome burst of colour in autumn as many herbaceous perennials begin their slow decline into winter. A useful iris, as it tolerates both shade and dry soil. In late spring, discrete pale lemon and purple flowers poke through amongst green strappy leaves. Plant it in bold swathes in difficult areas of the garden, where little else will grow. It self seeds freely.
  
  
• Garden care: Plant shallowly with the upper part of the rhizome sitting on the surface of the soil, incorporating plenty of well-rotted manure or compost into the planting hole.