As with other Pacific Coast Hybrid Iris it is best to plant this iris in a light acidic soil in full sun (coastal only), light shade, morning or late afternoon shade and water sparingly in coastal areas and more regularly inland. Plants are hardy to 15-20 degrees F or slightly lower for short duration. Transplanting or dividing and replanting should be done in December. In heavy alkaline conditions that are often found in southern California soils the addition of peat moss or soil sulfur is recommended, and with very heavy soils applications of gypsum can be beneficial. For more information see the Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris.

'Dorothea's Ruby' was selected and introduced by Cornflower Farms of Elk Grove, CA. They had originally released it as Iris PCH 'Rubies' but changed the name in 1989 to Iris PCH 'Dorothea's Ruby'. It was named in honor of the late Dorothea Fisher. Dorothea, Dotty to her friends, was the mother of Ann Chandler, the owner of Cornflower Farms in Elk Grove, California. We grew this plant from 1988 until 2016 when we lost our stock plants. The Pacific

Coast Hybrid Iris are a diverse group of plant derived from various California and Oregon native species, in particular Iris douglasiana, Iris innominata, and Iris munzii. They are noted for their attractive clumps of foliage that usually are under a foot tall with leaves that are usually dark green and shiny and large showy flowers ranging in color from white, yellow, red and blue with nearly all shades between that are held one to two per flowering stem in spring. We have grown many varieties over the years and sometimes offer them in blocks of mixed colors. We grew this cultivar from 1988 until 2016. 

The information about Iris PCH 'Dorothea's Ruby' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.