How to grow bearded iris
If you want round-the-clock color for spring , wait no further than barbate iris . Though it ’s well-situated to grow , there are a few detail that will guarantee your flora add up back and look gorgeous year after year
Bearded iris do best in full sunshine for portion of bloom and well - drained territory so the rhizomes do n’t rot . For substantial flora , fertilize with alow - nitrogen works foodin early bounce and again a calendar month after they finish bloom .
Planting bearded iris rhizomes
Whether you see a pretty potted bearded flag you like at the garden eye in spring or bribe from a post - ordering society that ships the rhizomes to you in summer , the rhizomes should be planted at or just below the surface of the soil to foreclose guff . flora rhizomes 1 to 2 feet apart with the smaller iris types nearer together than the larger ones . This allows enough quad so you do n’t have to dissever in a couple of long time .
Dig the right size hole
To plant bearded iris grasp a shallow pickle and use some of the grunge to build a small hill in the center . set a rootstalk on top of the hill of soil with the roots spread aside and the rhizome at soil level , then meet in the hole , cover the beginning and firming as you go to keep it cast anchor . It ’s OK if some of the rhizome shows above the soil , as it does in the photo above . Give your new plant a thorough lacrimation and then do n’t occupy about doing so again unless it ’s a dry yr — up to 1 inch of rain a week is fine for barbate irises .
Deadheading bearded iris
Bearded iris diaphragm start out blooming at the top of the stem and move down , with each bloom live on for 2 to 3 day . You cansnip offindividual spent bloom as they wither if you ’d like , but you ’ll want to cut down the farsighted stem back to the foliage once all the blooms are done to tidy up .
You Might Also Like:3 way to Deadhead FlowersMust - Have Pruning ToolsPerennial Deadheading Guide
Dividing bearded iris
If you ’ve noticed your bearded irises are n’t blooming like they used to , they may demand to be divided — every 3 to 5 years on average . Fortunately , it ’s easy to do . The serious time to divide bearded iris is 6 to 8 weeks after blooming or sometime in summertime . industrial plant are partly dormant this time of year so the growth of roots and foliage has slowed down .
Troubleshooting bearded iris
Bearded fleur-de-lis have few problems , but there are a couple plebeian ace that may clip up : iris borer and folio spot . They do n’t kill your flora correctly away but dampen them over clip until they finally die . One practice that keeps whiskered iris healthy is getting rid of the foliation in late fall . cutting pass on back to the rhizome or towboat away dried or well-worn - looking leaves and burn , bury or send them out in the trash , especially if you ’ve note any trouble over the growing time of year .
You Might Also wish : Tips for Growing a Fragrant GardenSpring Flower CombinationsPeony & Iris tour
Types of bearded iris
You may be surprised to love that there ’s more to bearded sword lily than the tall variety . Look over the chart above to see how they ’re broken into six groups found on bloom time , plant life tiptop and flower size . They all have the same fear needs so it ’s promiscuous to unite them for week of beautiful flowers ( even months if you admit a few rebloomers from each radical ) . In universal , the bombastic the plant , the after in saltation it blooms . ( When you ’re browsing catalogs you might see the acronyms listed in parenthesis with each name listed below . )
Bearded iris anatomy
Before browse the picture gallery below it ’s helpful to know a fiddling bearded iris lingo . The illustration shows you the introductory part of an iris prime , decline , standard & beard , so you ’ll be " in the know " when you read the catalog descriptions .
‘ ikon ’ miniature dwarf bewhiskered iris ( Irishybrid )
‘ Icon ’ is a tiny iris diaphragm that looks substantially planted in groups of five or more to for a shiny spot of colour . Within 2 to 3 geezerhood it will spread to form a good - sized clump . While most barbate flag bloom best in full sun , minature gnome whiskered ( MDB ) do just fine even with some afternoon shade — 4 to 6 hours of sunlight is enough for plants to continue healthy and blossoming .
TypePerennialBloomsGolden orange standards with wine - empurpled falls and an mandarin reddened whiskers in early springLightFull Sunday to part shadeSoilWell - drainedSize8 in . tallHardinessCold sturdy in USDA zones 3 to 9
‘ Lakota ’ average barbate iris ( Irishybrid )
Give light - colored average bearded iris ‘ Lakota ’ a backdrop of evergreen plant or other glum leafage and its bloom will really shine . This one is a plicata , which mean the flower has stippled , dotted or sewed edge . In some cultivar the pattern is more obvious than you see here .
TypePerennialBloomsLavender standards with groovy - orangeness falls that have a regal centre and orange beard in too soon to midspringLightFull sunSoilWell - drainedSize23 in . tallHardinessCold intrepid in USDA zone 3 to 9
‘ Bundle of Love ’ perimeter whiskered iris ( Irishybrid )
‘ Bundle of Love ’ is a border bearded iris ( BB ) . This case looks a wad like the tall bearded iris diaphragm but is smaller . It compete well in a crowded perimeter , blossom up a storm along with the marvellous bearded iris and other spring perennials , such aspeoniesand lupines .
TypePerennialBloomsBuff pink to creamy standards and falls in midspringLightFull sunSoilWell - drainedSize26 in . tallHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
‘ Cherry Garden ’ stock dwarf bearded iris ( Irishybrid )
‘ Cherry Garden ’ has red - reddish blue standards and falls and blue - violet whiskers . Since both standards and falls are the same , the efflorescence color is call a self . This cultivar grows so well , blooms so profusely and is such a good example of what an standard dwarf bearded iris ( SDB ) should seem like that it received the CookDouglas award in 1970 , which is give p.a. by the American Iris Society to a top - do standard nanus bearded iris .
TypePerennialBloomsRed - violet blooms in midspringLightFull sunSoilWell - drainedSize8 to 12 in . tallHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
‘ Little White Tiger ’ miniature tall bearded iris ( Irishybrid )
As intermediate whiskery irises start to slice , the miniature tall whiskery irises , such as ‘ Little White Tiger ’ get going . It has a dainty look with flimsy bifurcate stems and smaller blossom than other types . These petite blooms are great for cutting — they wo n’t tip over a slender vase and are easy to work into a bouquet without overpowering the chemical group . And they have a light fragrance .
TypePerennialBloomsWhite standards with purple veined tumble and a yellow whiskers in midspringLightFull sunlight to part shadeSoilWell - drainedSize16 in . tallHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
‘ Blueberry Parfait ’ magniloquent bearded iris ( Irishybrid )
‘ Blueberry Parfait ’ is a big plant with bright white and purple frilled bloom take a shit it a swell focal item or for line attention to a special place in the garden . This magniloquent bearded iris ( TB ) motley is known for producing numerous flowers on each angry walk , everlasting for bringing lots of fountain color to large spaces or as a mass planting .
TypePerennialBloomsHeavily ruffled white standards and bloodless falls with a purple boundary in late springLightFull sunSoilWell - drainedSize36 in . tallHardinessCold intrepid in USDA geographical zone 3 to 9
