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Are you thinking of growing Bearded Iris? If so I can tell you about them, the varieties, how to plant, maintenance on the plants and hopefully you will decide to grow these beautiful plants as I have for many years.
First of all let me tell you about the Bearded Iris as they are the largest and also get their name from the dense, hairy line along hte midrib of the lower petals. They have three standing petals, "standards," and three dropping ones, "falls.". The plants in this group of Iris grow from a rhizone and require sun, air, and good drainage. These Bearded Iris have broader, flatter flowers, narrow green leaves and are fibrous-rooted and demand moisture in the soil.
In my rock garden I have planted the dwarf Bearded Iris and usually they are the very first of my Iris to come into bloom. The colors range from white, purple, yellow, blue to white in my garden. You need to be very careful when planting the dwarf near other flowers that may overtake them and even hide them so its best to plant a group of the dwarfs together thus eliminating the problem of larger flowers smoothering the little dwarfs. The best time to transplant is also right after they have bloomed.
Usually about two weeks or perhaps three after my dwarfs have come into bloom the Intermediate will bloom. The Intermediate Iris are about two and one half feet high, a strong blue-purple, and although the flower is coarsely shaped, it is well loved by lots of Iris growers, especially in my garden. I also have a pale silver-grey "Florentina", which comes into bloom a day or so later and is slightly taller, and much more delicate and much lovelier. These are about 12 to l8 inches in height and have a wide range of colors and forms.
I also have some that are "Autumn Blooming", and these are classified under the Intermediate variety and have come into bloom in September or October, so they are called "fall-blooming" or "autumn-blooming".
I then have a bed of the Tall Bearded Iris and these usually bloom around the end of May and to me these are the most important of all my Iris, and can grow from l8 to 42 inches, even taller.
I think this are just the most beautiful of all my Iris, while I love the others, these are my favorites. Sometimes one stem will actually hold ten or more flowers and this is an attractive scene in my flower garden.
The Bearded Iris grow from rhizomes and these rhizomes will thicken under the ground where the roots grown. I plant a single rhizome always, never more than one at a time as the blooms are much stronger than a bunch planted together. I usually divide my rhizomes about every 5 years. You'll be able to tell when its time to divide as the blooms won't be as tall and they can get disease also much easier. I also plant these individual rhizomes about l8 inches apart to give the rhizomes room to spread over the years.
Iris will actually grow in about any soil but I do think that the soil should be dug deeply and thorough and pulverized to a depth of about l8 to 24 inches as I have the best results when planting a rhizome at this depth. I also add a little fertilizer that is rich in lime and potash, and a little hint please avoid nitrogen as it will start the growth too quickly and this can encourage disease. I also use bonemeal at about the rate of four or five pounds to l00 square feet.
For the maintenanence of my Bearded Iris I always remove the dead blossoms not only so they will always look their best but too many dead blossoms will take the light away from the other blooms. I do cultivate the soil around the Iris with a small spade and a fork and I also watch to see that the Iris don't get too crowded. Now when you do transplant the rhizome be sure to cut those leaves down close above the roots. If you see any disease in these leaves, burn or put out in the trash, do not use for your compost pile.
I do hope after reading this article you will decide to plant and grow these beautiful Bearded Iris as I know the enjoyment of their beautiful blooms will bring you much happiness.
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