Irises

Irises are loved for their both their variety and their easy cultivation.  There are two types of irises, the bearded and beardless, and they come in an assortment of hues including black, blue, brown, orange, pink, red, yellow, and white.  Finally, with several hundred species to choose from, irises are loved by gardeners and florists alike!

Irises are a perennial species, thus in planting them a gardener is promised their return every season for several or more years.  Often, gardeners will plant irises in flower beds and rock gardens or harvest them to create fresh cut floral arrangements.  Conversely, gardeners need to be alert as to where they plant this quick growing bloom, as it has the propensity to overcome a flower garden quickly if not adequately and regularly thinned.

Irises can be planted in seed form or as rhizomes.  Additionally, the iris requires little care once they are planted: provided that they have been planted in an area that provides at least some sunlight.  Irises are also extremely resilient and are not prone to insects or disease. What’s more, irises are highly adaptable to a variety of soils and require infrequent watering, thus this plant is both easy to plant and maintain.

Irises need to be planted at least 12 inches apart as they are particularly large plants that will require sufficient room to grow.  Likewise, their rhizomes will spread underground and require thinning:  when a gardener thins their rhizomes, they will have many new rhizomes to replant! Thus, one flower bed can soon turn into two or more!

Irises usually bloom in the late summer months between July and August, but some bearded species of Irises will bloom as early as the month of May.  Further, their blooms usually consist of six petals all together and some petals, usually the petals referred as to falls, have beautiful markings on them in a variety of colors.

Irises can be purchased as bulbs with relatively little expense.  An online floral or gardening shop can supply you with the bulbs for planting.  Additionally, iris bulbs are sometimes “forced” during winter months, and thereby can be grown anytime of the year.
                       
Irises are so beloved that many societies have been created to share in their enjoyment.  A gardener can locate a number of such societies online.  Further, such societies offer information about planting and growing the iris, in addition to offering photographs for viewing and in some cases, awards for growing the plant!  Finally, if a gardener is interested in entering into any society’s floral competition, they can find the requirements located on various websites or by calling the society and inquiring about them.