Iris Time

Facebook is currently awash with colorful photos of Iris. Indeed, we are in the midst of Iris season, well, more specifically German or bearded Iris season. These the probably the most commonly cultivated irises in our landscapes, and overall, they are easy to grow, needing only periodic division to remain healthy.

Yet there is a caveat, if you want to successfully grow bearded irises, you'll need to plant them in well-drained soils. At the State BOT garden, we lost nearly all of ours in the iris maze because our soils weren't well-drained.

But there is an iris for almost every situation. Our mucky soils proved to be the perfect environment for Louisiana iris. Btw, late April- May is also Louisana iris season. These vigorous spreaders are perfectly suited for our southern heat and humidity. And they are also adaptable in average garden soils, though they perform best with regular watering. I'd suggest cultivars like 'Sinfonietta', which is about as true blue as it gets, and 'Laura Louise' for its mouthwatering mango yellow. Be aware that Lousiana irises can take over your flower beds, so plan accordingly.

If you have a shady yard, I'd suggest Iris cristata, which forms a spreading ground cover. It grows wild in the southern Appalachians on moist deciduous slopes. But I don't find it to be too fussy, at least on the cooler, north-facing side of our house. It is a miniature iris, only growing to about 5in. tall. And unlike bearded or Louisana irises, it only generally only exists in the white to blue color spectrum. But it is never-the-less a wonderful native that deserves more real estate in our gardens.

Lastly, I'd to mention a lesser-known, hard-to-find little iris that does well for me. I remember feeling awestruck when I first observed the yellow dwarf Korean iris growing at Plant Delights Nursery. Having a particular obsession for yellow woodland flowers, I knew I had to grow it! While I only have 2 specimens and not a ton of experience with this plant, so far it seems to be clumping up nicely in my garden. Unlike crested iris, this iris forms a compact clump and grows up to 12in. tall.

Now for my soapbox! One of the greatest joys of growing iris is that they multiply and you can easily divide and share with other gardeners.... which we should all be doing, btw. It always gives me such satisfaction when I'm able to share with others. Not to mention, I'm helping preserve species/ cultivars by doing my own propagation. As the adage goes, "never put all your eggs in one basket", and when it comes to plants, you never know where a particular plant will survive and thrive. Your clump may die, but if you've shared some with others, there is a chance you might not have to purchase another one, granted they return the favor.

Many of these plants can be found at Plant Delights Nursery and Zydeco Irises, as well as many native plant nurseries. Photos either from Plant Delights or Zydeco.