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IRIS
a versatile plant for the whole garden
We specialise in Winter
flowering iris, Pacific Coast iris, bulbous iris, species iris and dwarf
bearded iris.
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Please see our Online
Store for current availability. Iris are listed in both our
catalogues |
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1.
IRIS
IN THE GARDEN |
This article is split into Iris for
Mixed Border,
Water side,
Semi-shade
and the Rock Garden.
There are
cultivation notes at the end.
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Introduction
Whether its a haze of flag iris shimmering in the heat of
Monet's garden or rimming his waterlily pool, a bowl of stylosa on a winter
windowsill or a bunch of Dutch Iris in a florist's bucket the word iris
conjures a host of different images. Not only do they flower for more than 6
months, from Nov-June, each has very different cultural requirements.
Appropriately named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, they are found
wild throughout the Northern Hemisphere and have long been cultivated for
their colourful flowers. In Turkey one has always been used to decorate
grave yards whilst in Italy another is an important ingredient in the
perfume industry. I have seen them massed in high Himalayan bogs, clinging
to life on an arid Greek hillside and lining the banks of our local canal.
With such a disparate distribution there is sure to be an iris suitable for
virtually every part of the garden. |
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Iris danfordiae |
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Mixed border
The first iris that usually springs to mind is the flag or
bearded iris. These have a broad, fleshy rhizome on the surface of the soil
and a fan of grey-green leaves. They have a long history of cultivation and
even in the 17th century many hundreds of hybrids were recorded. Some of the
best known are still cultivated today such as the rich purple Iris germanica,
Iris g. Florentina (orris root) and the variegated form of the scented Iris
pallida. Although they all have relatively small flowers they are very
tolerant garden plants for any well drained soil in full sun. |
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Iris 'Langport Wren' |
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The large and
often dramatically coloured modern bearded iris has a complex genetic
history. They are architectural in form, carrying their large, flamboyant
flowers on upright stems. For ease they have been classified according to
height, from tall (70cm) to miniature dwarf (-20cm). Curiously their flower
size does not vary so dramatically, most being 3-6" across. They are easily
grown in a limey soil in full sun and their colours, covering a huge
spectrum, often contrasted or subtly mixed, means that there is always one
to match any colour scheme. I must admit that I choose them by colour and
not name, there are so many available. Although traditionally grown by
themselves I prefer them as part of a mixed planting and use them to back
our herb garden. Care must be taken to ensure that the rhizomes are in the
sun and not shaded by surrounding plants. In a wide border the intermediate
varieties, such as the almost red-black Iris 'Langport
Wren', are perfect for the middle with some of the dwarf
bearded iris along the very edge. |
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One of the easiest, for a soil that is not too dry, is Iris
sibirica and its hybrids. They produce dense clumps of slender leaves topped
in May or June by a mass of dainty flowers. These may be blue, violet, white
or attractively veined. Their early flowering and neat habit even when out
of flower, makes them ideal for the mixed border. The lovely creamy-yellow
and white 'Butter and Sugar' is one of my favourites as is the free
flowering 'White Swirl' The robust, 1m tall
Iris orientalis with its slender yellow and white flowers is ideal for a
dry, sunny border. Although by no means a showy plant every garden should
have a clump of the dwarf Iris graminea tucked into a corner. The slender,
deep purple flowers are almost hidden by the narrow leaves but they really
do smell of hot plum tart and are produced in such profusion that there are
plenty to cut. |
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I have not
mentioned the Xiphium ( Dutch, English and Spanish) iris as personally I
think these rather stiff florist iris can be difficult to integrate into a
border. Tight clumps of a single colour are the most effective way of
planting them, although that may take some effort to achieve as the bulbs
are usually sold in mixed colours only. One of the most effective
associations I saw occurred by chance. A solitary golden Dutch iris was
almost obscured by a cloud of violet aquilegia flowers that had seeded on
top of it leaving it rather like an exotic butterfly and beautifully
disguising its inherent stiffness.. |
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Water side
Iris are one of the easiest and most attractive of the marginal plants. Only
Iris laevigata itself must be grown actually in water all the time, Although
they make attractive pond side plants, Iris ensata and Iris versicolor will
also grow quite happily in any moist, rich soil that does not dry out and
preferably does not contain excessive lime. There are many named forms and
they come in all shades and mixes of blue, purple and white, including
double flowered varieties. Some of the most dramatic are the modern Japanese
hybrids which have unbelievably complicated marking, There is a fine
collection of them in the wild garden at at Wisley, a gift from a Japanese
student. I find them very vigorous and easy to propagate by division early
in the spring, although August is the more traditional division time for
these and most other iris. |
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The familiar
yellow flag iris of the water meadows. Iris pseudacorus, is much too
vigorous for most gardens. However the almost glowing golden leaves of Iris
p.'Variegata' are particularly beautiful in early spring. It can be grown in
an ordinary border, provided the soil is not too dry, and where it will be
of a more manageable proportion than if it was alongside a pool. I prefer
the delicate lemon flowered form which I grow beside my large pond where it
is mixed with Zebra grass and a golden rush. There are some fine new forms
with dramatically marked flowers - 'Roy Davidson' and 'Tiger
Brother'. But no matter which form is
grown do not let them seed or they will quickly become a nuisance. I must
admit that I also find the blue Iris versicolor a little too generous with
its offspring. |
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iris ensata |
All forms of Iris
sibirica love the moist soil beside a pond. They flower earlier than the
traditional water iris and are useful to extend the season as well as adding
yellow to the usual blue/white colour range. The shorter Iris
setosa also thrives in the dampness of a pond margin, producing its
light blue or violet flowers in early summer. I 'Gerald Darby' is much more
robust, producing a succession of strongly veined purple flowers on well
branched, almost black stems. The most dramatic of the water loving iris are
the Japanese I. ensata hybrids with their amazing flat flowers, often
streaked and marbled. |
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Dry, sunny borders
One of the joys of winter is the perpetual succession of blooms on my
various forms of
Iris unguicularis - still better known under the old name of
Iris stylosa.
Whenever the temperature rises above freezing for a few days they will
produce flowers, many hundreds over the season on established clumps. All
are native of the poor soils and dry conditions of the S. Mediterranean and
N. Africa and flower best when tucked in against a south facing wall. There
are many forms available but I still think Iris 'Mary Barnard'
is one of the best. It is certainly the most floriferous. It has slightly
narrower leaves than the type and starts producing its rich purple flowers
early in November and, in cool springs, has been known to continue well into
April, although March is more normal. One common complaint is that
established clumps tend to be rather untidy in appearance. This can be
partially overcome by reducing the leaves to 2/3 their length in late autumn
and by gently raking out the dead foliage. This has the additional benefit
of also reducing the resident snail population that frequently causes
unsightly holes in the flowers. |
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Iris unguicularis |
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A warm,
sheltered wall is also the perfect home for the slightly tender I.japonica.These have a broad fan of leaves and exotic pale blue or white
frilly flowers, dramatically splashed with purple and with an orange
crest. 'Ledger's Variety' is reputedly the hardiest form. There is also a
variegated form with attractively striped green and white leaves. Iris
tectorum is another crested Chinese iris for similar conditions. |
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Semi shade
Although iris are principally associated with full sun there are some
species that not only tolerate but actually thrive in cooler conditions.
Iris
foetidissima, called the roast beef iris after the smell of its crushed
leaves, is one of the most adaptable plants regarding soil or position. It
is is naturalised here in Somerset, often appearing in hedgerows, and can be
somewhat invasive. The plant that I enjoy most has seeded itself into a mat
of variagated vinca carpeting the base of a huge yew tree. I never notice
its slender leaves and certainly overlook the insignificant brownish flowers
that appear in April. Then in September the fat seed capsules open to reveal
glowing, sealing wax red seeds that remain on the plant well into the new
year, a perfect foil for the pale vinca. There is a variegated form, valued
as a foliage plant in its own right although it tends to be prone to rust if
not divided regularly. |
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Iris
foetidissima (berries) |
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Iris Broadleigh Carolyn |
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For many
years Broadleigh Gardens has been virtually synonymous with the evergreen
Pacific Coast iris. Often called "orchid" iris when we show them at the
Chelsea Flower show, they are the result of crossing various Californian
species. The resultant progeny have one of the widest ranges of colours of
all the iris, usually with a contrasting, veined mark on the falls. All
require a neutral to acid soil and are particularly effective used, as I
first saw them, lining a path through a rhododendron wood. Their subdued
colours are complimentary to those of the rhodos. Unlike most iris they
flower just as well in partial shade as full sun. The early flowering and
rather upright yellow and white 'Agnes James' and the clear blue 'Broadleigh
Carolyn'
would be among my first choices. Like most of the non-bearded iris the clump
gradually expands outwards from the center and should be divided at regular
intervals, discarding the central portion. We do this in late August. |
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Not all iris are showy giants, some of the real gems of the
genus are very small indeed. The tiny 6cm tall Iris cristata and the closely
related Iris lacustris also prefer a humus rich soil in partial shade.
Considering the size of the tiny rhizome, connected to each other by
thread-like stolons, their rather flat, blue or white, crested flowers are
remarkably large. They gradually spread outwards to form quite extensive
patches and are are best divided just after flowering. |
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Although Iris lazica is an
Iris unguicularis
relative it comes from the cooler Black Sea coast and prefers a semi-shaded
position, as we dicovered to our cost having struggled for some years to
grow it in full sun with our main Iris unguicularis collection. It is now
much happier in a shaded bed under a north wall where it freely produces its
narrow, heavily veined purple-blue flowers. |
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I shall never
forget seeing the striking Iris chrysographes high in the mountains of
Yunnan. Although related to Iris sibirica I grow it as an understorey in a
mixed shrub border where there is plenty of moisture available. It is a
highly variable plant and it is well worth hunting for the best forms which
have rich, velvety, almost black flowers.
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Iris 'Edward'

Iris histioides 'George'

Iris
Katharine Hodgkin

iris Dunlin
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Rock Garden
As winter eases its grip on the garden so the first of the bulbous iris
appear. These are members of the reticulata group. All produce narrow,
triangular leaves and a single, slender bloom, principally in shades of
blue and purple, often with an attractively contrasting orange or yellow
mark at the top of the fall. They are best planted in small clumps and are
ideal for a sunny rock garden where they associate well with other early
spring flowering bulbs such as crocus. I like to grow them through low
growing grey foliage plants. Reticulata iris are naturally snow melt plants
of the high mountains in the Middle East, conditions that are not easily
replicated here. One of the principal problems is that after flowering the
bulb splits into many tiny bulbs that can take up to 7 years to reach
flowering size again. Deep planting (20cm) will discourage splitting however
I'm afraid I take the lazy way out and plant a few new clumps each year. 'Harmony'
and 'Edward' are
two of my favourites. Sadly the very vigorous Iris histrioides 'Major' is no
longer available although its rich purple form 'George'
is proving to be a good substitute. Alternatively you could try the unusual
Iris 'Katharine
Hodgkin'. Its exotic colouring of cream overlaid with a blend of light
yellow and greeny-blue comes from its parents, Iris histioides and Iris winogradowii,
the latter having also imparted its higher tolerance of our climate making
it a reliable, free flowering perennial provided you keep the slugs at bay.
The
dwarf bearded iris also make their home on the sunny rock garden where
their samm stature is perfect for the other low growing plants. They range
in height from 4" to 10" and come in a kaleidoscope of colours,
from simple single colours to amazing combinataions.
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Although not strictly speaking an iris, Hermodactylus tuberosus, the Snake's Head or Widow Iris, with its finger-like tubers
and velvety brown flowers is very closely related to Iris reticulata. It
will grow rapidly in a light well drained soil but will only flower well if
given a dry summer dormancy. Here it has become naturalised in grass under a
large oak which keeps it dry in summer. |
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Iris tuberosa
(hermodactyllis) |
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Iris bucharica |
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My rock bank is also home to two very dissimilar species.
One of the most unusual iris, both in and out of growth is Iris bucharica.
It is the only member of the beautiful Juno iris group that can be grown
with ease in the open garden. Its strange, greenish yellow flowers rise
out of an interlocking fan of shiny apple-green leaves and come from a
rootstock that is half bulb and half tuberous root. It flowers in mid
spring. Flowering later in the summer is a dwarf, evergreen iris from the
Balkans and Turkey. Iris sintenesii is easily grown and deserves to be more
widely grown. At first glance the flowers appear to be a deep violet-blue
but a closer inspection reveals them to be a heavily veined white, which
gives them an almost metallic sheen. |
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Iris
'Cannington Ochre' |
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The dwarf bearded iris also find their home among other low
growing plants on the rock garden.. The strange Iris 'Forest Light' has
long inhabited my rock garden where its greeny-yellow flowers associate well
with the grey blue of Ipheion
uniflorum. Another good combination is 'Little Sapphire' with Tulipa
batalinii 'Apricot Jewel'. Once again there are many hundreds of
varieties and colour combinations to choose from. |
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Tulipa batalinii 'Apricot Jewel' |
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Cultivation/ propagation
1. With the exception of the bulbous iris all should be planted with the
rhizome at or just below the soil surface.
2. Late summer is the best time to move or divide most iris.
3. When dividing iris reduce the rhizome to a young, vigorous piece,
discarding the old rhizome.
4. Water all iris in dry weather the first season after transplanting to
help them establish a new root system.
5. Plant bulbous iris 4-8" deep in autumn. Juno iris should only be planted
2" deep. Lift and divide bulbous iris as the leaves fade.
6. Most species iris can be grown from seed although some may take many
years to flower. Hybrid iris will not come true to name.
7. Feed with a low nitrogen, slow release fertilizer.
8. With the exception of water edge varieties iris prefer a well drained
soil. Add grit and humus to heavy clay soils. Lime may be beneficial for
very acid soils.
9. Avoid covering the rhizome with mulch, especially FYM |
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| We
sell different iris at different season:
Spring (January)
catalogue- plants posted Feb-April
Dwarf bearded, species iris such as
chrysographes, ensata, sibirica and winter iris ( I unguicularis or
stylosa)
Autumn (June)
catalogue - bulbs posted Sept-Nov
Pacific coast, reticulata and other
bulbous iris
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See Online
Store for current availability
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2.
Dwarf
Bearded Iris
Article published in The Garden
April 2009
The genus iris is one of
the most diverse and popular garden plants with flower shapes and colours
almost as variable as their habitats. Iris were named after the Greek
goddess Iris, the personification of the rainbow, in recognition of their
rainbow hued flowers. Iris species are found throughout the Northern
temperate latitudes, growing in conditions as diverse as high mountains
pastures to hot Greek hillsides. This means that their cultural
requirements are equally diverse, some preferring a cool water’s edge
location whereas others require a hot dry situation. The bearded iris fall
into the latter group. They have been cultivated since Classical times and
depictions of them have appeared in literature and painting for more than 2
centuries. They are pictured in the palace at
Knossos
on
Crete
and the French heraldic device, Fleur-de-Lis, was an iris not a lily.
Iris germanica, the common
flag or bearded iris, with its fat, surface creeping rhizomes and broad fans
of deciduous leaves has been in cultivation for many centuries and has
spread all around the word from its Iberian home. I have seen purple flag
iris flowering in old oil drums outside a stone house high in
Tibet
and in gardens on the
island
of
Chiloe
off the coast of
Southern Chile
. There can hardly be a garden in
UK
without at least one representative of this group, whether it is the classic
old purple flag or one of the spectacular modern hybrids with their amazing
colour combinations.
Iris breeding took off in
the late 19thC and by the early part of the 20thC whole beds were devoted to
them. Unlike the simple species modern hybrids have an improved elegance of
form, with multiple buds to a stem and beautifully proportioned flowers. The
standards are large and upright while the falls are full and flaring but it
is their marvelous range of colours that really sets them aside. No visitor
to the Chelsea Flower Show can fail to marvel at the spectacular colour
combinations displayed on the specialist iris exhibits.
Unfortunately, however
seductive their flowers may be, TBI are not quite so easy to integrate into
our modern style of gardening. They all need a well drained, rather poor
soil and a situation where the sun will fall directly on the rhizome for
most of the time if they are to flower well. They became a popular choice
for narrow beds under a sunny wall which could be devoted to them. However
their all too brief flowering period, and the hard work involved in the
annual division of the rhizomes has meant that they are perhaps not as
popular as they once were and the classic iris bed is a disappearing feature
of our gardens.
Bearded Iris are useful to
fill that awkward gap in flowering after the tulips fade and before the
majority of the herbaceous perennials start but successful integration into
a mixed border is difficult. Here the soil is more fertile than they truly
like and any competition or shade from neighbouring plants curtails their
flowering. Although their flowers are tall they need to be grown at the
front of the border to maximize the sun on their rhizomes and it is
therefore not possible to hide the rather large holes left at the edge of
the border when they finish flowering.
However their dwarf
cousins are much more versatile and distinctly underrated as garden plants.
They have an equally long and complex history and are the result of crossing
naturally dwarf species such as
I.
pumila (eg I.pumila
‘Atroviolacea’), with the modern tall bearded iris. Breeders divide them
into 2 groups depending upon their height. The Miniature Dwarf Bearded (MDB)
are 10 - 20cm tall whereas the largest group, the Standard Dwarf Bearded (SDB)
are between 21 – 40cm tall. This is an entirely arbitrary classification
and there is no difference in performance between the 2 groups.
The first hybrids had
clear, single colours such as blue, purple or yellow eg ‘Stockholm’,
‘Mary McIlroy’*, ‘Zero’* and ‘Open Sky’, their beauty being in
their dwarf stature but then gradually patterns, first as veins, known as
plicates eg ‘Dunlin’ and then stronger contrasting marks appeared eg
‘Meadow Court’. Finally the colours merged rather like an untidy
artist’s palette where all the colours blend into each other often in a
dramatic manner eg ‘Quark' , 'Peach Eyes' etc
Although they are dainty
and rather delicate in appearance they are fully hardy with a good
balance between leaf and flower, the flowers being 2-3” diameter, the best
having well rounded, upright standards and falls that are held horizontally,
not curving under, so that the patterns are visible; especially important as
they are to be viewed from above. They flower for about 1 month in late
spring (April-May) just before the TBI. Most have only 1-2 flowers on a
single stem but each established plant can be literally smothered in
flowers. There are some so-called Remontant forms but I have yet to find one
that is truly repeat flowering. There is just an occasional late summer
flower. A truly remontant iris with good flowers may come in the future.
All are easy to grow
provided a few simple rules are followed. They are shallow rooting and
should be planted in a sunny, well-drained position, preferably in poorish
soil with the rhizome on the surface and the roots extending downwards. Care
must be taken not to allow neighbouring plants, or weeds, to encroach and
smother the rhizomes. Congested clumps should be divided in late summer. The
old central rhizomes should be discarded and the side ones replanted. Cut
the leaves back by 50% and firm the roots well.
If you should have one,
they are perfect for planting in front of TBI in a dedicated iris bed where
they will flower first. Alternatively they are particularly attractive under
a sunny wall, or against the house with other sun lovers such as Iris
unguicularis, eucomis, nerine etc., where their fans of leaves provide a
good foil for the other plants and where they fill the gap in flowering
between I.unguicularis of winter and the
late summer/autumn flowering eucomis & nerine. They are also very
effective in the narrow beds that are often found edging the path leading to
the front door, where they associate well with other low growing plants,
especially those with silver foliage or Helianthemums. Smaller tulips are
other good companions as they like similar dry sunny positions. [example the
walled garden at Wisley].
Their dwarf stature makes
them ideal for a sunny herbaceous border where they make a good edging
plant. Although, like their tall cousins their rhizomes must be left
exposed, they are much smaller and therefore their leaves are closer
together and they make rather attractive clumps of foliage along the front
edge. As DBIs are individually small it is advisable to plant at least 3 or
5 rhizomes initially to form a reasonable sized patch. Single plants in a
border are easily swamped. Take care to keep any mulch away from the
rhizomes.
For tall bearded iris
contact:
Seagate Iris
Kelways of Langport
The
RHS garden at Wisley
has excellent trials of all types of iris.
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3.Winter
iris
Article published in Gardens Illustrated Feb
2011
Brisk walks, warm fires
and plant catalogues sum up winter, a time of bare branches rather than
brightly coloured flowers but there is one group of plants that defy the
elements to produce their jewel-like flowers in this most inclement time.
These are the surprisingly sturdy winter flowering iris. There are 2
distinct groups of these – the rhizomatous
I.
unguicularis which flower from October
to March and the bulbous I.reticulata
group which flower in late winter.
The
star of the winter garden is undoubtedly Iris
unguicularis, still more commonly called by its old name Iris
stylosa. This clump forming iris has tiny rhizomes and long, narrow,
sword shaped evergreen leaves. It grows wild throughout the Mediterranean
area where it is naturally winter flowering. It is extremely variable both
in flower colour and size. It is native to dry, sunny soils and flowers best
against a sunny wall where it can be left to form large clumps.
The
flowers are a typical rounded rather open iris shape in shades of
blue-purple with a striking white and gold centre to the falls. In
the best forms these will start to appear in November and continue
throughout the winter until they finally run out of steam in April. A cold
snap with frost will halt flower production for a day or two but normal
service is quickly resumed once the temperatures rise again and there is
almost always a few to pick for the house. These are best pulled when in
bud rather than cut. They quickly open in the warmth of a room and are one
of the most cheering sights for a gloomy winter.
Of
the blue cultivars ‘Mary Barnard’
is one of the most vigorous. It is slightly smaller in stature, has
narrower leaves and flowers of an intense rich purple. One of the most
distinct is ‘Walter Butt’ which
has very large flowers of the palest slate blue. The highly sought after
white forms are often rather
disappointing.
Unfortunately the smallest– I.cretensis,
‘Oxford Dwarf’, and the
slightly taller ‘Bob Thompson’ and ‘Abington
Purple’ are also less hardy than the type and are probably best grown
in a very sheltered position or under glass. These are only 4-8” high with
more grass-like foliage.
The leaves of evergreen
iris still die off regularly to be replaced by new ones. The overcrowded
rhizomes and their associated dead foliage found in most mature clumps are
the perfect hide away for snails which have an annoying habit of chewing
holes in the unopened buds. This damage can be mitigated by reducing the
leaves to about 8” in October and vigorously ‘combing’ through the
clumps with a hand fork to open them up and to remove as much of the debris,
and the resident snails, as possible. Congested plants should be lifted and
divided, the old dead rhizomes removed and young pieces of the plant
replanted with the rhizome at the surface of the soil and the roots placed
downwards. This can be done either in August, when you will lose a flowering
season or in early spring which is when we usually do it as it also lessens
the risk of frost damage to the newly planted iris. Whenever you chose to do
this the new plants must be regularly watered for the first year while they
establish their root system.
Reticulata
Iris
The other group of winter
flowering iris could not be more different. Instead of the mild climes of
the Mediterranean basin these tiny iris come from the high mountains of the
Middle East
where they are buried deep in the snow all winter.
I.
unguiculalris is naturally winter flowering but these flower as the snow
melts in their Middle Eastern mountain homes and the temperature rises. In
our gardens this means late winter – early spring; the first coinciding
with the last of the snowdrops. Instead of clusters of surface rhizomes
reticulata iris have a small pointed bulb, with a whitish netted tunic. They
produce solitary flowers and long thin deep green leaves which are
triangular in cross section. They are 4 - 6” tall.
There
are various species
that make up this section. I reticulata
is a very variable plant and most of the cultivars in commerce are wild
selections. Iris histrioides has much
bolder flowers. Sadly the best known form of this, I
histrioides ‘Major’, is no
longer available but other cultivars are just as easy. There are a few
excellent hybrids.
It
has always been recommended that reticulata iris should be planted on a
sunny rock garden. But in this position the bulbs have an annoying habit of
splitting into tiny non flowering bulbils so they are often treated as
annuals. However one year I planted a flowering potful of iris in a new
shady bed where we grow snowdrops - just to give it some instant colour
(the garden is open!) and I noticed that they flowered just as well the
following year. I now have well established clumps in cool, humus rich soil
under deciduous shrubs so there is plenty of light/moisture when they are
growing but dry and shady when they are dormant. The buds will poke through
in December and then wait until Feb to flower.
Their
early flowering means they also make excellent subjects for pots for
greenhouse, conservatory or house. The pots should be kept outside
(protected from severe frost )until the buds appear when they can then be
brought in to the house to flower.
Cultivation:
The bulbs are planted in the autumn in small groups of 5 – 10 bulbs 4 -
6" deep. They are traditionally grown as rock garden bulbs in a sunny
situation but the dry soil usually causes the bulbs desiccate and to split
into tiny bulblets which will then take some years to regain flowering
size. Extra deep planting and feeding with a low Nitrogen fertiliser is
often recommended to overcome this. However bulbs that are planted in a
cooler, but equally well drained, position among shrubs do not split up in
the same way and will continue to flower year after year. They can be
grown in light grass under trees and are excellent subjects for growing in
containers and make attractive pot plants to bring indoors once the buds
appear.
Pests:
these early flowers are like caviar to slugs who will leave unsightly
holes in the petals. The bulbs can suffer from Ink Spot disease. Infected
bulbs should be thrown away.
I.danfordiae
This is the first of the group to flower with very angular yellow flowers
with green spots in the throat and virtually no standards at all – just
a vestige between the 3 falls. It tends to less reliably perennial than
the others. More inclined to split. Mountains of
Central Turkey
Height: 5"
I.histrioides
‘Major’ AGM wild central
Turkey.This reliable cultivar has large deep blue flowers. Sadly this once
popular bulb is no longer freely available but there are other good,
similar cultivars. ‘Angel’s Eye’
(‘Angels’ Tears’) and ‘Lady
B Stanley’ are recommended. Height: 5"
I.reticulata
This
very variable early flowering iris grows wild in
N Iran
to C Turkey where it flowers as the snow melts. Over the last 100
years many colour forms have been selected. The following are some of the
best cultivars. ‘Alida’ (illustarted)–
is a new cultivar with exceptionally large mid-blue flowers. Good in pots;
‘Cantab’.-pale
Cambridge
blue; ‘Edward’, intense bright
blue with a distinct orange ridge; ‘George’
AGM is a hybrid with I.histrioides and
has exceptionally large flowers of rich purple; ‘Harmony’
has well-shaped flowers of a good clear blue and is scented. It is
recommended for pots as the leaves remain short at flowering: ‘Pauline’
deep purple with a distinctive white central stripe. Height: 6"
Whites
– there are some rather pathetic off white cultivars but they are very
weak. There are also some new hybrids with amazing colour combinations
which are not yet commercially available so their vigour is yet to be
tested but they are worth looking out for as they make a beautiful pot
plant
‘Katharine
Hodgkin’ AGM
An
amazing hybrid
between I.winogradowii and I.histrioides. It is much more vigorous
than many of the cultivars and has significantly larger bulbs. The flowers
are an extraordinary mix of cream and yellow overlaid with blue and green.
It sounds dreadful but is very beautiful in the flesh. If planted in shade
it will form large long lived clumps. Height: 4". ‘Frank
Elder’ – similar with less yellow in the falls. ‘Sheila
Ann Germany’ is another hybrid of similar parentage and vigor with
very large flowers of clear sky blue.
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| Other
Articles |
January
- snowdrops
February
- an insight into Lilies
March
- blue bulbs
April
-using small daffodils in the garden
June -
Naturalising bulbs
August:
Agapanthus
September - planting in shade
October - Fritillarias
November
- Tulip Purissima
December
- Shady Characters
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