Irissubg.Hermodactyloides,I.subg.Scorpiris,I.subg. Xiphium
Iris are highly pop perennial flowers , have a go at it for their gorgeous , rainbow colored blossoms in the late spring garden .
Many of us are conversant with the tall , better-looking stands of barbate iris and the graceful charm of Japanese or Siberian varieties . These are the unity that develop from rootstalk – those thick , fleshy etymon that look like pep beginning .
But are you familiar with bulbous sword lily ?
Photo by Lorna Kring.
They ’re a boon for iris lover ! They offer the same beautiful and lightly fragrant flowers in striking , vivid tint of blue , bronze , atomic number 79 , magenta , mauve , pink , purpleness , rose , white , and yellow .
And they ’re fabulous for carry the blossoming time of year . There are very early blooming , miniature reticulatas that bloom in February and March , the spring Junos in April and May , and the European sort that flower in May to July .
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Miniature to intermediate in size , they append undischarged colouration when massed in bed , border , and container as well as in cottage , courtyard , cutting , and naturalize gardens .
fantabulous as gelded efflorescence , they ’re the type most often used in florists ’ leap sweetness . And some Junos and Dutch selections are wonderful for indoor winter forcing as well .
dusty dauntless smorgasbord are planted in fall and the less hardy 1 are often treated as yearly – plant in spring then dug up in autumn for wintertime memory in a Robert Lee Frost detached location .
As easy to grow as Narcissus pseudonarcissus or tulip , when allowed to perennialize , they form attractive clump of colorful flowers with spiky , upright leafage .
In addition , they reproduce promptly , providing years of reliable , fragrant bloom .
Sound like the type of high - performance , blue sustentation plant you need ?
Then allow ’s delve in ! Here ’s what I ’ll brood :
What You’ll Learn
What Is a Bulbous Iris?
Irisis a genus of herbaceous perennials inthe Iridaceae sept , that includesgladiolusandcrocus .
The bulbous varieties most commonly seen in home gardens typically belong to the following three subgenera of the genusIris :
Hermodactyloides
A dwarf subgenus endemic to domain of Asia Minor , particularly Turkey and Syria , Hermodactyloidestypesare small works that blossom in previous wintertime and early outpouring .
This subgenus includes the fragrant , early garden favoriteI. reticulata , and the entire group is commonlyreferred to as reticulata iris . Other suited garden specie includeI. bakerianaandI. danfordiae .
Reticulata mature four to eight inches tall and are stout inUSDA Hardiness Zones5 - 9 .
Scorpiris
aboriginal to the Middle East through central Asia , Scorpirisspecies are midsized plants with smooth , fleshy bulbs and compact etymon that bloom in mid saltation .
This subgenus curb about 60 species and the group is typically referred to as Juno iris .
sweet fragrant , garden species typically have corn - alike foliage and includeI. aucheri , I. bucharica , andI. magnifica .
Juno reach up to 12 to 16 column inch tall and are hardy in Zones 3 - 8 .
Xiphium
Indigenous to region of France , Portugal , Gibraltar , and Spain in southern Europe , and Algeria and Morocco in northerly Africa , Xiphiumspecies efflorescence in mid - spring to early summer and have firm bulbs with sparse , sinewy ascendant .
normally referred to as the European group , the most popular for household garden are the lightly fragrant Dutch , English , and Spanish mixture .
Dutch intercrossed varieties , I. x hollandica , turn 18 to 24 column inch tall and are hardy in Zones 3 - 9 .
The English types , I. latifolia , reach up to 24 inches tall and are hardy in Zones 5 - 9 .
And Spanish varieties , I. xiphium , grow up to 36 column inch in height and are hardy in Zones 5 - 9 .
Adapted for dry habitats , the bulbs ego - modified from ancestral rootstalk , take on a rotund or teardrop physical body with a squat , underground basal home .
plant typically produce a single stalk with one to three flowers per stem – although some of the Junos , like the award winningI. magnifica , have multiple bloom per bow .
The flower structure is the distinctive iris motif of three upright standard petal with three fall petals .
Uppers are narrower than the falls and are similar in appearance to Japanese and Siberian potpourri , with butterfly or orchid - same profiles and a unaccented scent of violets .
Foliage is glaucous to deep green , narrow , upright , and strappy in form with some types have soft , corn - like leaves .
After flowering , industrial plant go dormant over the summer and the foliation turn dark-brown and dies back .
A astonishingly underused works , they ’re extremely effectual in mixed beds , border , and containers . Anywhere they can pop up for a splash of people of colour then dwindle aside , vanish until the next year .
Propagation
These plants may be propagated by bulb outset or seeds .
However , with seeds , generation is ho-hum and it can take several years to produce flowers . come save from cultivated hybrids may not give rise an superposable knockoff of the parent .
hoard offset is the pet propagation method because plant are selfsame replica of the parent and often flower the yr after sowing .
counterbalance can be collected when thud are lifted for rejuvenation or winter memory .
Here ’s how :
In mid to late summertime , after the leaf has altogether pass away down , employ a garden fork to bring up thumping . To foreclose bulb price , dig six to eight inch abstruse , with four to six in of relief out from the key radical or the outermost stems in a clump .
Gently pull aside the clump and brush off the soil .
Detach offsets from parent . offset are baby bulb that sprout around the basal plate and on the bow bag above the crown . very to grow bulbs but mini - sized , offsets are easy to flick off with your finger .
Lightly rubble parents and offsets with garden S to prevent bacterial infection .
If your bulbs stay in - background over winter , replant parents instantly after removing counterbalance . The dormant lightbulb want time to bring on healthy , raw root constitution during late summer and spill .
Collect the offsets , opt the expectant – chickpea - sized and bully – and healthiest for generation . Discard the modest ones , or any that appear damaged , misshapen , or easy .
Fill small pile , six to eight inch in height and diam , with a commercial potting medium . Or create your own soil blend using one third peat moss , perlite , or vermiculite ; one third older compost ; and one third landscape sand .
Water grunge thoroughly until the premix is dampish but not soaked . commingle in somebone mealto help with rooting .
embed the starting time , three or four per pot , about two to three column inch apart and two to three inches deep , then gently truehearted soil over top .
Overwinter the pot in a dry , sheltered position such as a cold skeletal frame , service department , or shed .
Keep the grunge lightly moist , but not pie-eyed , and water supply when the top of the grunge dries out .
found out in the spring when all danger of frost has passed . bet on the size of your offsets , young bulbs can take up to two years to flower .
or else you’re able to purchase bulbs to plant in the garden .
How to Grow
Purchased light bulb do best when drop - plant , but can also be sown in outflow to get as yearly .
plant enjoy a full sun emplacement in hoummos rich , well - draining soil with a indifferent pH of 6.6 to 7.5 .
To plant , loose the filth to a profundity of 12 inches . function in two to four inches of constituent material likeaged compostto the top six inches of grunge .
merge in some os repast to aid sizeable root formation .
Plant in odd - numbered groups to a depth of four column inch , go forth two to three inches between electric-light bulb . The use of odd - numbered groupings is a pattern element that provides a more visually interesting and pleasing scenery over even - add up items .
Backfill gently and firm soil in place .
pee lightly to settle , then piss regularly when the top one to two inches of soil is dry .
In areas with quick wintertime , the foliage of fall - planted bulb often make a first appearance after break summertime dormancy and before winter starts , but vigorous growth stays in stoppage until day length increase in springiness .
In areas with cold winter , protect clumps with a heavyset , two- to four - inchlayer of mulchofleaf moldor straw .
And in dusty location outside their hardiness zone , grow tender varieties as annuals , lifting the light bulb in fall and replant in spring .
Indoor Forcing
insensate hardy types , such as Dutch iris , Junos , andreticulatas , are well - suit for impel indoors over winter .
Here are the steps .
Place bulbs in a closable moldable bag with a cup or two of slightly damp peat moss . Seal the suitcase .
Put the purse in the refrigerator for eight to 12 week . instead , place them in an unheated garage or shed , supply they ’ll find temperatures of 35 to 50 ° F for the continuance . This cold period is required to break in dormancy .
When the cold-blooded period is over , remove medulla and jell the flat end in a shallow stadium lined with two to three inches of pebbles or spyglass marbles .
Place them about half an inch to one inch apart .
add together water to the bowl to just below their bases .
Place the bowl in a tender window with indirect light for germination , which takes office in one to two weeks .
After shoots appear , localise the bowlful where it will receive bright sparkle until the heyday are well - formed , in two to six weeks .
Once blossom are quick to spread out , move the bowl to a spot where you could enjoy the flush and their fragrance .
After blooming , either discard the bulbs or constitute out in the garden after the last frost date , as described above .
You canlearn more about squeeze bulbs in our guide .
Growing Tips
Pruning and Maintenance
Apply a grim nitrogen or balanced plant food ( 6 - 10 - 10 or 10 - 10 - 10 ) in former outflow and once again after flowering .
Bulbs promptly form clumps and can uprise undisturbed for two to five days . When they become overcrowded , prime yield dwindles , and they should be dug up and divided .
After anthesis , iris enter a dormant stop when the foliage dries out and dies back . When leafage is completely dry , absent any debris to sizable bed .
Non - hardy salmagundi grown outside of their normal hardiness stove need to be lifted in downfall and stored for winter .
Before frosty temperature arrive , ski lift clunk with a garden fork and lightly brush off any ground .
Spread onto a tray and allow to dry in a coolheaded , dry placement out of lineal sunlight for up to two weeks .
After drying , nestle bulbs into a basketful , bin , or box of slightly damp peat moss and place in a dark and juiceless localisation with a temperature range of 40 to 50 ° fluorine until quick to plant out after all peril of frost is retiring .
Species and Cultivars to Select
Unlike rootstock , bulb can be a small voiceless to reservoir . If you ca n’t discover them at your pet garden center , they ’re readily available through lightbulb houses , catalogues , and online shopping sites .
Here are a few democratic types to get you startle :
I. Reticulata
The speciesI. reticulataadds allure and sweet fragrance to the late winter garden . They have beautiful , bluey - purple flowers stress with a narrow , buttercup yellowish signal and clear white pharynx splotches .
Flowering in February and March , these miniature plant turn six to seven column inch grandiloquent and look fantastic mass in beds , boundary line , containers , rockeries , and naturalized options .
I. reticulata
I. reticulatais a pretty , perfumed choice for indoor forcing as well . Plants are hardy in Zones 5 - 9 .
Packs of 25 bulbs areavailable at Home Depot .
Harmony
You ’ll enjoy the good vibes of this gorgeous increase to the other garden !
I. reticulata‘Harmony ’ is a midget bicolored cultivar with sumptuous flowers – sky blue standards and deep , admiral blueing falls with a contrasting jaundiced signal , white veins , and the sweet fragrance of violets .
‘ Harmony ’
Flowering in late winter and very early spring , plants grow six to eight inches marvelous and make a beautiful increase to borders , containers , rock garden , and naturalized area or when planted with other former flowers like crocus andsnowdrops .
Packets of 15 bulbs areavailable at Burpee .
Lion King
A brute of a different color from the typical low and white-livered . I. hollandica‘Lion King ’ is a beautiful bicolored Dutch fleur-de-lis with plum tree standards and dramatic , tawny gold return that are heavily veined in brown .
‘ Lion King ’
peak farm 12 to 18 inches and come out in late spring to other summertime . Hardy in Zones 4 - 9 , they are an eye - catch choice for beds , borders , container , and cottage , court , and cutting gardens . Also an excellent choice for winter forcing .
And if you plan on adding some of the rhizomatous miscellany to your garden this class , be sure toread our usher on how to acquire irises for scent and color first .
Managing Pests and Disease
Aphidsare diminished greenish or gray sap sucking insects that also disseminate disease from plant to plant .
These pest are easy to get free of with a warm clap of water froma garden hoseto leaves and stems .
cat are have a go at it to jaw holes in the leaf and can be well contain with handpicking .
Snails and slug will also eat up folio and flowers , creating maverick notches and holes .
Handpick and dispose of gastropods clean away any shelter spots like boards , bricks , and garden debris . More approximation onhow to protect your garden from slug and snails right here .
Ink diseaseis triggered by a fungus , Bipolaris iridis , that shows up as black blotches on the leaves and bulbs most usually in the speciesI. reticulataandI. hollandica , causing leaves to yellow and shrivel and rotted radical .
Plants infect with ink disease need to be removed and dispose of . Also , the stain should be replaced if you want to replant – or avoid originate any bulbing iris in the same land site for three or four years .
Rust fungus kingdom , Puccinia iridis , appears as pocket-sized light fleeceable to chickenhearted spots that develop a rust-brown brown hump flex black as leaf sensationalistic and wither start at the tip .
Trim infected area and discard to halt the spread of rust fungus .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
The Lesser Known Iris
Now that you ’re familiar with bulbous iris , have you settle which ones to judge in your garden ?
They may be less well know than the democratic rhizome plants , but they ’re every bit as sympathetic and leisurely to grow !
Allow the cold hardy multifariousness to perennialize and form chunk , or dig up up and store tender smorgasbord over the winter months for replanting in outflow .
And remember to plant plenty for the cutting garden – you ’ll desire to bask them indoors as well !
And for more selective information ongrowing iris flowersin your garden , check out these guides next :
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About
Lorna Kring
