Iris
Iris: Spanning the bloom between spring bulbs and summer flowers
| Iris | Bulb or Rhizome |
|---|---|
| Bloom Time | Late Spring to Mid-summer |
| Light | Full Sun |
| Water | Moist Soil, Depends on Species |
| Diseases | Rot, Leafspot, Rust, Scorch |
| Pests | Aphids, Thrips, Nematodes,borers, weevils |
| Propagation | Divide Bulbs |
| Color | Blue, White, Yellow, |
| Zones | 4 - 9 |
| Soil pH | 5.5 - 6.5 |
| Tolerates | Deer |
Iris
If you have a perennial garden or perennial border, you should certainly have one kind of a Iris or another in your garden.
Iris tend to fill the gap between the early spring bulb bloom and the summer flowers. Another thing is that their beauty, which is very striking and should not be missed.
All Iris leaves are flat and sword-shaped. They spread by rhizomes, resting barely below the surface of the soil.
Iris is an incredibly diverse bulb group and they encompassed over 200 species and numerous cultivars. Some cultivars are drought resistant, while others tend to like wet feet and live in the pond and stream beds.
Flowers are very complex, very showy and have a nice color pallet to pick from. So experiment with colors, sizes and grouping have have fun with the Iris family.
Iris are another bulb that is very easy to propagate. Simply wait until the bulb has finished flowering and dig up the rhizomes.
Cut the rhizomes with a sharp knife and treat each surface with a rooting hormone.
Iris
Depending on the Iris species, soil and moisture conditions can vary quite a bit.
Some species can tolerate partial shade, but they will tend to die out after a number of years.
Digging up the rhizomes and splitting or splitting the bulbs tends to rejuvenate the plant and will bring new vigor to the plants.
Iris
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Iris sibirica 'Bennerup Blue': produces cobalt-blue flowers with a small white blotch. It grows 2 feet tall. Zones 3-9
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Iris 'Champagne Elegance': has glamorous fragrant flowers, several per stem, which have pale buff-apricot falls with amber beards, and white standards faintly blushed pink. This tall bearded-type may rebloom in late summer. It grows 3 feet tall. Zones 4-9
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Iris cristata: is a wild form native to areas of North America. It bears blue, white, or purple flowers in spring over tiny clumps of sword-shaped foliage to 1 foot tall. Zones 3-9
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Iris ensata 'Electric Rays': is a Japanese iris with large double violet flowers streaked with white. This award-winning variety grows 3 feet tall. Zones 5-9
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Iris 'Immortality: is a tall bearded type that offers pure white flowers. It commonly reblooms in fall and grows 3 feet tall. Zones 4-9
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Iris chrysographes: is known for is especially dark purple-red fragrant flowers. It blooms in early summer and grows 2 feet tall. Zones 7-9
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Iris danfordiae: is an early blooming bulb with single yellow flowers in late winter. It grows 6 inches tall. Zones 5-8
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Iris fulva: has 4-inch wide coppery red flowers, yellow at the center but without beards. The sword like leaves may reach 4 feet tall. Zones 4-9
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Iris ensata 'Satozakura': prefers to grow in water or damp places where soil is acidic. Its large, somewhat flat mauve to rosy pink flowers are yellow at the throat and conspicuously veined. Clumps grow to 3 feet tall and are hardy in Zones 6-9.
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Iris sibirica 'White Swirl': makes tough clumps of narrow green sword-shaped leaves. In mid-summer it blooms with 1- to 2-inch pure white flowers touched with yellow at the base, several flowers per stem. Zones 3-9
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Iris pseudacorus: grows vigorously in wet places. Its thick clumps of grayish spear like leaves may reach 4 feet tall. In late spring and summer 2-inch yellow flowers appear on strong stems. It may become invasive. Zones 5-8
Iris
Water-soluble, quick release fertilizers. Water soluble fertilizers are generally used every two weeks during the growing season or per label instructions
Temperature controlled slow-release fertilizers. Controlled, slow-release fertilizers are worked into the soil usually only once during the growing season or per label directions.
Organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion. For organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion, follow label directions as they may vary per product.
Our preference here at Green Living Made Easy, is of course the Organic Fertilization method. We use either Fish Emulsion or Organic Bone Meal.
Plant bulbs at a depth that is three times their height, and at least 1-1/2 bulb-widths apart.
Once the hole has been dug, work a handful of Bone Meal into the bottom of the hole and then place the bulb in the hole, upright (roots pointing downward).
If you can't detect were the roots are, an easy clue is the pointed more more pointed area is the top of the bulb. If you are still in doubt, just plant them sideways.
Fill in the hole or trench gently and make sure there are not any stones or rocks in the fill. Sort them out if there are. The soil should be free of clumps or clods that would impede growth of the bulb.
Planting bulbs in formal rows hardly ever look good and certainly does not look natural. It looks best to plant the bulbs in natural drifts, as you would see them in the woodlands.
If you have trouble with gophers or squirrels eating your bulbs, try sprinkling red pepper in the holes, covering the bulbs with chicken-wire, surround bulbs with sharp shards of gravel or other substance, or planting rodent-repelling bulbs like Fritillaria nearby.
