Iris planting and care in open ground, fertilizing, propagation. Bearded iris for sunny places

Irises are distinguished by excellent vitality, get along well with many plants, multiply quickly and delight us with their fancy flowering in mid-May.

But even such unpretentious flowers as irises have their own characteristics in growing.

Features of care and planting of irises

The abundant flowering of irises largely depends on the location. Plants grow well in sunny open places, in partial shade and even in shady areas of the garden, but you won’t expect flowering in the shade, so in order to please yourself with the beauty of blooming irises, you need to provide the plants with good lighting.

Another rule that needs to be remembered when planting irises is that the flowers do not tolerate wetlands. The soil should dry out thoroughly. High humidity leads to rotting of the roots and buds of the iris.

Therefore, choose well-drained places, hills, open space. At high humidity there is a risk of developing bacterial or fungal rot and pests such as iris flowerpot and slugs.

Iris flower lady causes great damage to blooms bearded irises. During flight (the beginning of chestnut flowering), the female lays eggs in the buds, from which larvae mature in a couple of weeks. They feed on juice, hence the buds become soft, watery and do not produce a full-fledged flower.

Upon closer inspection, you can see small punctures in the petals.

And when pressed with your fingers, liquid flows out of the bud.

All damaged buds must be plucked and destroyed. During the period when the shoots appear, I dust them with ash for prevention, tobacco dust, pepper, mustard or lime, spray with a soap solution with the addition of alcohol or ammonia, make infusions of celandine, tansy, burdock, aloe, wormwood. All bitter herbs are suitable. The main thing is to actively carry out all kinds of activities during budding to scare the pest away from the plant. In the literature, various systemic insecticides are recommended for growing irises and protecting them: Aktar, Confidor, Mosplan, but on my site I do not use pesticides, I prefer only natural remedies. The same measures repel cutworms, aphids and slugs that feed on the leaves and flowers of the plant.

It is also enough to plant irises in a sunny place to get rid of slugs and rot, since good drying of the soil is a prevention against these troubles.

Irises are quite drought-resistant. However, they require moderate watering, especially during the flowering period.

Soils prefer light, structured, sandy loam and loam, although sometimes they can tolerate any. They respond well to the application of mature compost in early spring and autumn. Nitrogen fertilizers should be applied in small doses, since bearded irises do not have highly developed leaf apparatus, but acidification of the soil from excess nitrogenous substances can also adversely affect plant development. It wouldn’t hurt to apply a one-time complex mineral fertilizer during flowering, for example, kemira flower.

Growing irises

Irises are propagated by dividing the root or sowing seeds. Seed pods appear on pollinated flowers, which can be picked by the end of August and planted before winter.

It is better to collect the seeds of bearded irises when they are slightly unripe (the shell of the capsule becomes soft and light green), then the germination percentage increases. Seedlings will bloom only in the 3rd year. Propagation by seeds makes sense only when breeding work, since irises grown from naturally pollinated seeds do not always have the same characteristics as the mother plant.

It is easier to propagate by division, which should be done two weeks after flowering and until September.

The overgrown iris rhizome can be divided without digging.

It is enough to separate part of the root with shoots with a shovel and replant it in the desired place. This is, so to speak, a crude method of plant propagation that does not require specific knowledge and skills.

Division can also be done by digging out the entire rhizome from the ground. I prefer to dig because first of all it gives me the opportunity to work compost into the soil in that area. A plant dug up and cleared of soil allows us to examine it in more detail, remove damaged areas, and divide the rhizome into smaller shoots, which increases the amount of planting material. We divide the large root of the bearded iris according to the “cut at the neck” principle, that is, it has round large sections of the “head”, which are connected to each other by thin short bridges “necks”. So you need to cut precisely along these thin areas.

It happens that two or three sprouts grow on one head at once.

You can leave them, then the iris will grow as a bush.

If root system developed, then you can divide these shoots by cutting off a piece of rhizome with roots for each division.

If the long roots are not enough, then there is no need to divide the head. When dividing a bearded iris bush, we shorten the leaves to avoid excess moisture loss during the plant’s establishment.

Plant at a distance of at least 10 cm, forming small mounds for the roots in several rows.

Iris plantings are arranged in different ways. Can be planted in wide or narrow stripes as the outer frame of a flower garden. Interesting solution will make a figure of irises or plant them in separate areas in the form of color spots.

Bearded irises are ideal for flower gardens and mixborders.

It is also possible to plant irises in a continuous flower carpet as a decoration for tree trunks or decorative bushes. Plantings of irises are diversified by inclusions of bulbous ones, such as tulips, which bloom almost at the same time as early flowering varieties. Irises look spectacular against the background of blooming peonies.

Often the plants are combined with daylilies and lilies, which immediately begin to bloom after the irises have faded. The agricultural technology of these plants is the same, so they get along well with one another.

Growing bearded irises will bring you a lot of pleasure with its simplicity and excellent results. Breeders have bred many varieties different varieties who will become worthy decoration your garden.

"Super Ego"
Photo by EDSR.

Location: illuminated areas protected from the wind. You can plant plants in semi-shaded places, but varietal irises are light-loving.

The soil: light or medium in mechanical composition, fairly fertile, cultivated to a depth of at least 20 cm and well drained, pH 6.5-7.5. On the rich organic substances In soils, plants develop a powerful vegetative mass to the detriment of flowering. In addition, they do not have time to finish growing in the fall and suffer from fungal diseases. When preparing sandy and loamy soils, it is recommended to apply 8-10 kg of humus, 10 g of nitrogen and 15-20 g of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers per 1 m2.

Care: early spring, loosen the soil to a depth of 5-8 cm and add liquid phosphorus-potassium fertilizing(10-12 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium sulfate per 1 m2). Since the rhizomes are located close to the soil surface, it is better not to use dry fertilizers. The first nitrogen fertilizing (10 g/m2) is carried out after the beginning of intensive leaf regrowth, the second (10 g/m2) by adding 10-15 g of phosphorus and 20 g of potassium fertilizers per 1 m2 - after 10-12 days. During the flowering period and immediately after its end, plants are fed with phosphorus (15-20 g/m2) and potassium (20-25 g/m2) fertilizers.

On low-fertility soils, during the second wave of growth of the root system (second ten days of August), along with phosphorus per 1 m 2 (25-30 g of superphosphate) and potassium (15-18 g of potassium sulfate), nitrogen fertilizers (8-10 g ammonium nitrate). The last feeding with phosphorus (15-20 g) and potassium (10-15 g) fertilizers is carried out in late September - early October. This feeding helps better formation and differentiation of generative buds, as well as deeper winter dormancy, due to which plants better tolerate unfavorable overwintering conditions and suffer less from fungal and bacterial diseases.

After flowering, flowering shoots are removed. During the entire growing season, weeding and loosening of the soil are carried out. In autumn, leaves are pruned at a height of up to 10 cm. New varieties, especially American selection, for the winter they are mulched with peat, humus, covered with leaves and spruce branches. They can grow in one place for up to 5 years.

"Vanity"
Photo by Olga Bondareva

Diseases and pests: irises can be affected by rust, heterosporiosis, gray mold, fusarium bulbous iris, wet rot, line mosaic virus, aphids, gladiolus thrips, slugs, onion hoverflies, onion root mites, strawberry, stem and root-knot nematodes.

Reproduction: vegetatively and by seed.

The seed method is used for the propagation of species plants and for breeding purposes. Sowing of seeds can be carried out in the fall after collecting them in loose, nutritious soil to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. In the spring, friendly shoots appear. If seeds are sown in spring, they need stratification. Seedlings dive at a distance of 5-10 cm. After 2 years they are planted in a permanent place. Plants bloom in the 3-4th year.

Division is carried out in the 4-5th year of cultivation. The best time for replanting is the first 3-4 weeks after the end of flowering, acceptable time is the entire second half of summer. Well-developed rhizomes are dug up, the leaves are cut at a height of 10-15 cm from the base and the rhizome is cut into pieces 2-4 cm long, the cuts are sprinkled charcoal. Each division should have 2-3 links and 2-3 growth buds. Planting is carried out in grooves 3-5 cm deep. The feeding area depends on the height of the plants: 10x15, 30x30, 50x50 cm. In order for the cuts on the rhizomes to dry out and prevent rotting, planting is carried out one day after division. If desired, the iris variety can be propagated by small pieces of rhizome with one bud, but this is a very risky method.

Amigos Guitar Photo by Olga Bondareva	"Brides Halo" Photo by Olga Bondareva	"Dusky Challenger" Photo by Olga Bondareva
"Edith Wolford" Photo by Olga Bondareva	"Milestone" Photo by Olga Bondareva	"Oriental Etching" Photo by Olga Bondareva
"River Hawk" Photo by Olga Bondareva	"Stearway to Heaven" Photo by Olga Bondareva	"Tall Gate" Photo by Olga Bondareva
"Tanya" Photo by Olga Bondareva	"Thornbird" Photo by Olga Bondareva	"Vanity" Photo by Olga Bondareva

Iris "Dorothea" Photo by Irina Makhrova

Iris "Blue Sapphire" Photo by Irina Makhrova

Iris "Pow Wow" Photo

When choosing bearded irises to grow on your site, first of all, decide on the size. The fact is that these flowers vary in height: there are bearded irises that grow up to 70 cm, and there are also those that rise above the ground no higher than 5 cm. The best varieties of bearded irises must meet certain requirements, about them you You will find out by reading this material.

Medium-sized, tall and miniature bearded irises

Bearded irises are the largest group of irises, consisting of several classes.

Tall bearded irises (TV)- powerful plants with a height of 71 cm with a branched peduncle, many buds and large flowers, sometimes up to 20 cm in diameter. In the Moscow region they bloom from mid-June to early July.

Medium-sized bearded irises (MB) - from 41 to 70 cm in height, are in turn divided into three groups:

• border irises (BB) with a flowering period similar to tall bearded ones, but with a proportionally smaller flower;
• intermedia irises (IB) with a flower size of 10-13 cm and a flowering period in the Moscow region from the beginning of June; not necessarily highly branched, but forming abundantly flowering bush;
• table, or miniature tall bearded irises (MTB) - with a tall thin branched peduncle and relatively small (no wider than 8 cm) flowers, used mostly for bouquets and tables, which is where their name comes from.

Standard Bearded Dwarfs (SDB)- 21-40 cm high, in the Moscow region they bloom from the end of May.

Miniature Bearded Dwarfs (MDB)- the smallest, the height of such bearded irises is 5-20 cm. These flowers bloom very early (in the Moscow region from the first half of May).

Requirements for tall bearded irises

The modern tall bearded iris is a striking flower! Any person who sees it is fascinated by its beauty and is extremely surprised when he learns that growing luxurious irises is no more difficult than any other garden flowers or even vegetables in the garden. Perhaps there are so many erroneous opinions about any crop that many, even very experienced gardeners, are wary of it, usually contrasting new varieties with old ones. And it’s completely in vain: among modern varieties there are plenty of those that can reliably and regularly bloom in middle lane and even have some advantage in resistance to the adversities of our harsh climate compared to historical varieties. Therefore, it is undoubtedly worth striving to acquire new varieties. But the main advantage of the new varieties is that they are immeasurably more beautiful than the old ones.

The progress in breeding flowers of tall bearded irises is amazing. The main attention is paid to the flower, because even just one flower - whether it grows in the garden or stands in a vase - can captivate the gardener’s imagination and make him fall in love forever. New ones are still appearing color combinations, exquisite color patterns that instantly gain immense popularity. But despite all the achievements in expansion color range irises, the main focus is on the quality of the flower.

Flower quality means:

• wide, sometimes interlocking halyards and closed standards at the base, making the flower collected, rounded and expressive;
• the density of the texture of the petals, which ensures resistance to precipitation and a longer lifespan of the flower;
• grace and uniformity of corrugation of shares;
• width, density and expressiveness of the beards.

An example of excellent flower quality is 'Paris Fashion' by Keith Keppel. Giant flowers also require peduncles proportional to their size - tall, strong, resistant to gusts of wind. To ensure that the opening flowers do not interfere with each other, they must be “spaced” on sufficiently long branches, and in order to ensure a long flowering period, there must be a large number of buds in the inflorescence.

Particularly attractive are the so-called exhibition varieties that have 3-5 simultaneously open flowers on the peduncle.

Considerable attention is also paid to the garden attractiveness of the iris - the health of the foliage, the rapid growth of the bush and the representativeness of its flowering, when the optimal number of peduncles on the bush is approximately equal to half the number of leaf fans.

Of particular interest are those varieties whose bushes emit flower stalks not simultaneously, but over a period of time, providing exclusively long flowering. Remontant varieties have a long flowering period.

At correct selection varieties, the flowering of tall bearded irises lasts for 50 days.

The main requirement for iris varieties for growing in northern regions, - growth energy, it allows you to compensate for many other shortcomings of the plant. The next most important quality is frost resistance. Ability to resist low temperatures in winter is associated with the rhythm of plant development. Irises, whose growth ends by the end of summer and the leaves die off, overwinter much better and, therefore, their flower buds are not damaged in harsh winters.

Tall bearded irises - very heat-loving crop. Thus, in the Moscow region and to the north, only 20% of the varieties grow successfully from their total number. Therefore, my advice to amateur gardeners is to be interested first of all in its frost resistance when purchasing.

Resistance to fungal and bacterial diseases is another important quality. Resistance to bacteriosis and heterosporiosis ensures healthy foliage, decorative planting and regular flowering.

The standard planting unit for bearded irises is usually the annual growth of the iris rhizome. In the middle zone they reach acceptable sizes by early August. This is the reason for the recommended planting period - the first half of August, however, good results can be obtained if planted before the beginning of September.

Which rhizomes are best to take for planting: large or small, annual (short) or biennial (long)? The answer to this question depends on your goals: if by all means you want to see an iris flower the next year after planting, choose a large rhizome with a wide fan of 6-8 leaves. If flowering next year is not important to you, but the reliability of overwintering and the survival rate of the plant are paramount, choose a medium-sized one- or two-year-old rhizome with a diameter of 2-2.5 cm, with 3-4 leaves.

Agricultural technology for growing bearded irises: planting and care

The agricultural technology for growing bearded irises depends on the purposes of their cultivation, so it is impossible to give any universal scheme. Some grow irises, planting them every year and digging them up every year. planting material usually for sale. Others plant irises to decorate the garden in a border, mixborder, rockery or on a rocky hill, where it is advisable not to touch them for several years.

The most important factors for successful growing are light and drainage. Do not forget also that irises are heat-loving plants. The more sun irises receive in the garden, the better they bloom. A little shade in the morning or evening is, of course, acceptable, but only some varieties of irises, such as the intermedia ‘In a Flash’, will withstand more serious shade. Southern slopes are preferable to northern ones; a place near the southern wall of the building would also be good. It is good if the landing site is cleared from the prevailing cold winds.

When the soil is excessively moistened, the respiration of the roots is disrupted and they partially die, which leads to a slowdown in plant development.

Under such conditions, bacterial rot also develops on the rhizomes of irises.

If the soil is sufficiently drained, irises can also be planted on flat surface If the soil is heavy and clayey, then it is better to plant them on a hill or on ridges. Ridges are also more convenient from the point of view of constructing a winter shelter.

High soil fertility is the key to successful cultivation and productivity of tall bearded irises in central Russia.

Bearded irises do best on the lungs sandy soils. Loams are also acceptable, but the addition of sand and organic materials (peat, composted sawdust, humus) significantly improves the structure and permeability of the soil, which leads to great results. You just need to take into account that to improve the soil to a depth of 20 cm, you will need to add approximately 100 liters of sand per 1 m2 of soil.

The optimal level of soil reaction (pH) is 6.8.

If you intend to grow irises in beds, then their preparation consists of the following operations:

• clearing the area from the roots of perennial weeds;
• delivery to the site of compost or other available organic material;
• leveling organic matter over the area while simultaneously adding wood ash or dolomite flour and mixing them with the soil with a pitchfork or shovel.
• applying mineral fertilizers under the rake: potassium sulfate and superphosphate, as well as ground or colloidal sulfur in an amount of 5-7 g/m2;
• shaping the profile of the ridge and compacting the soil to avoid further subsidence and bulging of newly planted plants. The height of the bed profile after compaction is approximately 7-8 cm;
• delivery to the ridges of coarse-grained river or washed quarry sand in such quantity as to form a layer of approximately 5-7 cm, and level it;
• The ridge is ready for planting. To preserve the structure of the ridge, it is convenient to plant bearded irises in the following way: spread the sand slightly by sticking the bayonet of a shovel into it, place the roots of the iris section into the resulting gap, compact the soil around the roots and water the substrate, move it towards the planted iris section so that it is in the layer sand.

The cuttings are planted on the ridge in such a way that the cut part of the rhizome is directed towards the edge of the ridge, and the fan of leaves is directed towards the middle. In this case, the growing roots will be directed towards the center of the ridge, which will make it easier in the future to water the plants into the groove in the center of the ridge.

Irises can be replanted at any time within growing season. However, spring transplantation can lead to poor flowering this year. In the middle zone, optimal results are obtained when planting and replanting irises in August: the plants have enough time to take root and gain sufficient weight to fully bloom the next year. Irises planted later, that is, in the fall, usually remain healthy, but do not have time to take root before the onset of cold weather. This can lead to rhizomes sticking out of the ground when the soil freezes. To avoid bulging of the rhizome, additional mulching is required for the winter or simply fixing the rhizome with a suitable object at hand.

A common mistake when planting and caring for bearded irises- excessive deepening of the rhizome. It is recommended to plant irises so that the back of the rhizome is at the surface of the soil. In the winter, it is better to sprinkle the exposed rhizome with soil, and in the spring it needs to be raked off.

When caring for bearded irises, it is mandatory in the first weeks after planting the irises for successful rooting. To ensure abundant flowering, adult specimens of bearded irises require watering only when there is insufficient precipitation, especially in May, when the weather is often hot and dry, sometimes in June-July. However, in August, and even more so in September-October, adult bushes no longer need watering. At this time, the plant is preparing for winter, and its growth should not be stimulated.

Irises should be fed both in early spring and 3-4 weeks after flowering. Fertilizing with soluble fertilizers gives a quick effect: in the spring - complex with microelements, in July-August - potassium phosphate.

For the successful cultivation of bearded irises, phosphorus is the most important of the main nutrients; therefore, when preparing a site for irises, it is advisable to fill the soil with superphosphate (100 g/m2) or bone meal (200-300 g/m2). For spring and summer fertilizing, you can use a complex fertilizer with a low nitrogen content, for example, NPK = 6:10:10. The autumn mixture has a ratio of NPK = 0:13:18, it also contains magnesium and elemental sulfur, the latter being 5%. The spring mixture for feeding has the formula NPK=8:37:11.

The best organic fertilizer for iris culture - well-rotted compost.

Bearded irises successfully grow in one place for 4-5 years. The specific timing of bush renewal depends both on the variety and on the agricultural technology used. Some time after planting, the iris bush thickens, which ultimately leads to the cessation of flowering. How quickly thickening occurs depends on the multiplication rate of the variety. Some varieties are characterized by vigorous growth, and at the same time are not too demanding on external conditions.

As the bush ages, it is advisable to increase the amount of fertilizing. If these measures do not bring the desired effect, the bush needs to be dug up entirely, the soil should be updated by adding mature compost and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, and the 3-4 strongest shoots should be planted, shortening the leaves by about 2/3.

Many modern varieties do not need shelter for the winter. If the variety is chosen for the beauty of the flower, but is not winter-hardy enough, additional efforts will be required in preparing for winter. The main problems for irises in winter in the middle zone arise when an ice crust forms on frozen ground without snow, preventing the plants from breathing.

It is convenient to cover irises with spruce branches or oak leaves, which have the property of not caking. To prevent such a frame from getting wet, it must be covered with a non-woven covering material or film - under them the irises will not smear in winter.

Irises overwinter best under dry air cover by first drying the ridge, which usually takes one month. The easiest way to provide protection from rain is to use a dense reinforced film laid on arches or directly on the foliage of irises. The ends of the shelter should be open for free air circulation, and they should be closed for the winter. The estimated construction time for the shelter is late October - early November.

In spring, the film is removed from the shelter as early as possible, immediately after the snow melts, and other material is removed as needed.

Varietal irises are propagated vegetatively, that is, by dividing the rhizomes. To speed up propagation, you need to remove the flower bud located at the base of the fan of leaves in the fall. After this, the plant’s lateral buds begin to grow, which form new powerful shoots in the spring. There is no need to dig up the rhizome to separate them. On a dry sunny day, you need to rake away the ground, tear off the dried and yellowing leaves, and cut the remaining green leaves to the rhizome. The cut must be disinfected and left to dry in the sun. After the wound has healed after a few days, the rhizome needs to be mulched with soil so that the awakening buds can form roots. Often recommended for propagating irises, dividing the rhizome into bud cuttings is much less effective method, since in this case the plant is severely injured and, as a result, flowering occurs much later.

For propagation, dormant buds on 2-3-year-old rhizomes can also be successfully used. To do this, pieces of rhizomes are cut out from the middle of the bush and simply transplanted to a new place.

New varieties of tall bearded irises for the middle zone

The description provides the following data: name of the bearded iris variety, originator, year of registration, characteristics of the flower, flowering period.

Sundress

Pirogov 2000

Golden-smoky top with a lilac touch. By white field the bottom has purple dots and strokes, a golden-smoky border. Bright yellow pistil ridges glowing in the depths of the flower. Exclusively strong growth and regular abundant and long-lasting flowering. Early.

Queen

Sholupov 2003

Rich purple-violet, with a velvety lobe texture and powerful corrugation. The exhibition peduncle easily holds several simultaneously open flowers. Average term flowering.

Cranberry Sauce

Black 2002

Cranberry South

A silky-brilliant flower with a lilac-crimson tint. Yellow beards highlight the magnificent depth of color. Average flowering time.

Darcy's Choice

Schreiner 2007

Aarsis Choice is a flower of original color with white beards on crimson halyards. Wonderful branched peduncle. Average flowering time.

Dawn then Dusk

Schreiner 2008

Aoun Tu Dusk

A bicolor pink-purple flower that takes on a unique gray hue in acidic soils: unexpected and attractive. Medium late.

Edgefield Glow

Schreiner 2011

Edgefield Glow

Exceptional brightness orange flower with dark tangerine beards. This new variety of bearded irises has incomparable color and excellent growth vigor, unlike other orange forms. Mid-early.

Never Been Kissed

Blyth 2008

Never Vin

Kissed Fashionable reverse: blue top and pure white bottom. Luxurious flower delicate color. Distinctive feature- the best corrugation to date. Mid-early.

Palace Symphony

Blyth 2007

Palace Symphony

A purple-wine flower with almost black beards and exceptional ruffles. A variety that combines the best features of American and Australian selection. Average flowering time.

Royal Birth

Royal 2003

Royal Burf

Creamy white with golden halyard bases. Dense texture of the flower. Abundant flowering and sustainable growth. Mid-early flowering period.

Undivided Attention

Ernst 2004

Unbiased Attention

Rich pink, warm salmon color, thicker in the center of the flower. Bright coral beards. Abundantly flowering variety. Medium late.

Warranty

T. Johnson 2004

Warranty

A huge soaring purple-black flower with a velvety texture on a tall stalk. Mid-late flowering period.

Our grandmothers, growing garden strawberries, or strawberries, as we used to call them, did not particularly worry about mulching. But today this agricultural technique has become fundamental in achieving High Quality berries and reducing crop losses. Some might say it's a hassle. But practice shows that labor costs in in this case pay off handsomely. In this article we invite you to get acquainted with the nine the best materials for mulching garden strawberries.

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We have prepared a hearty, incredibly appetizing and simply easy-to-prepare dish for you today. This sauce is one hundred percent universal, as it goes with every side dish: vegetables, pasta, or anything. Chicken and mushroom gravy will save you in moments when you don’t have time or don’t want to think too much about what to cook. Take your favorite side dish (you can do this in advance so everything is hot), add some gravy and dinner is ready! A real lifesaver.

Among the many different varieties of these popular vegetables, we will tell you about three that are distinguished by their excellent taste and relatively unpretentious growing conditions. Characteristics of the eggplant varieties “Almaz”, “Black Beauty” and “Valentina”. All eggplants have pulp medium density. In Almaz it is greenish, while in the other two it is yellowish-white. They are united by good germination and excellent yield, but in different time. Everyone's skin color and shape are different.

Bearded iris(Iris) - beautifully blooming perennial from the iris or iris family (Iridaceae)

Nature has gifted us with all the colors of the rainbow - pink and crimson, lemon and orange-yellow, cherry and lilac, snow-white and sky blue. Maybe that’s why the ancient Greeks named it after the goddess of the rainbow, Iris. Irises are plants where you can admire one flower!

Exists classification varieties of bearded irises in height:

Short - height 25-36 cm

Medium height – 37-70 cm

Tall - more than 70 cm high

In severe frosts, the rhizomes can either die completely (a rather rare occurrence), or the upper part, located close to the surface of the earth, freezes. This is a characteristic feature of bearded irises - the emergence of rhizomes to the surface of the soil. No matter how much you cover them with soil, after a while the rhizomes still stand “naked.” In autumn, it is recommended to mulch irises with a small layer of soil or peat.

A clump of irises grows sideways up to 10 cm per year (depending on the variety). If several varieties grow nearby, then after 5 years you can easily confuse the varieties, the rhizomes will close together.

I have repeatedly noticed in my garden in the spring, like on old bushes upper tiers rhizomes look lifeless. However, after 2–3 weeks, the bushes grow new roots, leaves appear and abundant flowering. Irises are resistant to late spring frosts, withstand temperatures down to -7 degrees C.

Varieties are divided by flowering time:

Early - bloom in mid-May and bloom until the end of May

Mid-early - bloom at the very end of May and finish flowering in the first ten days of June

Medium and mid-late - bloom throughout June

Late - bloom in early July

Some varieties of foreign selection do not bloom every year in our climatic conditions. The flower bud of irises is formed in the summer of the previous year at a certain amount of positive temperatures. And if the summer was cool, which means the irises did not have enough warmth, then the mid-late and late varieties may not bloom.

In the garden, irises bloom just after the flowering of daffodils and tulips, but before the flowering of peonies, lilies, and phlox.

Location

Photophilous, grows well on sunny places ah, they tolerate light partial shade from rarely standing trees. They do not bloom in dense shade, although the foliage develops. The site must be protected from strong winds, it’s good if the sun hits in the first half of the day. Irises cannot tolerate excessive moisture and rot. But during the flowering period they like watering.

Reproduction

Propagated vegetatively, dividing rhizomes into links. If you use a knife, then it must be constantly disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate (15 g per 10 liters of water).

Breaking the rhizomes into links

I prefer to break the rhizomes and sprinkle the broken areas with charcoal. A plot can consist of 1 to 3 fused annual links. If there are living buds on the old links, then they can also be used for propagation. Pieces of rhizomes are planted in washed soil with sand to a depth of 2-3 cm.

Cut the fan at an angle of 45 degrees

The iris is covered with DRY sand or peat, sawdust or moss, wrapped in newspaper and placed in a plastic bag with holes for ventilation. The bag is placed on the refrigerator door and checked periodically to ensure it does not rot. If there are signs of rot, then wash it with water and treat it with a solution of one of the drugs: potassium permanganate, Maxim or Vitaros. Then they are washed with water, dried and stored again.

Landing

The best soils light loams are suitable for bearded irises, although they also grow on clay soils. Can be improved heavy soils, adding peat and sand to them. Acidic soils neutralized with lime.

Before planting irises, the area should be dug up with a spade, carefully removing the weeds. When preparing the soil, it is good to add rotted soil to a depth of 20 cm, without mixing it with the soil. The rhizome should not touch the manure, otherwise the irises will get sick, and the suction roots will reach it during the growth process.

When to plant bearded iris?

The best time to plant bearded irises is immediately after flowering. At this time, the root system grows well, which means the survival rate increases. But since flowering times differ for different groups of irises, planting may occur at different times. In any case, planting must be completed before September 15–20, otherwise the irises may not have time to take root.

If you bought an iris in winter or spring, then you can plant it as soon as the snow melts and the soil can be dug. Bearded iris is not afraid of return frosts. If the soil is very cold, you can water it before planting. hot water or use soil that has been stored at room temperature. After planting, I recommend covering the plants with a piece of lutrasil for 10-14 days so that they take root faster.

Bearded irises are propagated only by rhizomes, since varietal properties are not preserved during seed propagation.

Sprinkle the sections with ash (charcoal)

Straightening the roots

Rhizome at soil level

A planting section for a bearded iris should have at least one formed rhizome link. It should be healthy, strong, elastic, uniform in cut light color. In an iris division, the leaves are shortened by 2/3 and the roots by 1/3. First, a mound of earth is poured onto the bottom of the hole, sand is sprinkled on top, and the roots are spread evenly along its slopes, covered with soil and pressed tightly with your hands. The rhizome should be located at soil level and should not be buried. For the winter, the newly planted clumps are sprinkled with peat.

The distance between plants should be 35-40 cm. Irises grow in one place for about 3-4 years, then they need to be divided. When planting, the roots should be almost horizontal and the leaves should be slightly inclined.

Care

Caring for bearded irises involves periodically loosening the soil, weeding and fertilizing.

In early spring, after the snow has melted, if the irises have been mulched, you should stir the shelter a little to allow air to enter and the rhizomes to open. You need to loosen it very carefully, since the roots of bearded irises are almost on the surface of the soil.

In dry weather, irises are watered, especially during the flowering period. During this period, make sure that faded flowers do not fall on the leaves, as the leaves may rot.

Feeding irises 3 times per season.

The first feeding after removing the cover or mulch is 20 g of ammonium nitrate and 20 g of potassium sulfate

Second feeding in June - 25 g nitrogen and 25 g potassium

Third feeding in July - 50 g of superphosphate and 25 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water

When the leaves begin to brown, with the onset of frost, they are cut off by 1/3. In new and rare varieties, the rhizomes are covered with spruce branches or lutrasil.

Pests and diseases

Early in the spring, irises can be attacked by the cutworm butterfly caterpillar, which gnaws leaves and flower stalks, especially if the spring is dry.

It happens that thrips nest in the axils of leaves. Can be used as a spray of karbofos (20-40 g per 10 liters of water).

In the second half of summer, slugs appear and eat the leaves. In this case, the soil around the plants is sprinkled with superphosphate.

When the weather is warm and humid, irises may be affected. bacterial rot rhizomes In case of damage, the dying areas should be cut out to healthy tissue, and the sections should be treated with potassium permanganate and sprinkled with charcoal. The rot pathogen dies in the sun, so the cut is dried in direct sunlight.

It happens that at the end of summer the leaves of irises become covered with rusty brown spots. Such leaves should be cut off and burned.

Use in the garden

The high decorative value of bearded irises and their original foliage, which lasts until autumn, allow them to be used in mixborders, as a tapeworm, and in groups on the lawn in combination with other perennials, both in and near ponds.

Currently, about 30 thousand varieties of hybrid garden iris have been bred. They are distinguished by the timing of flowering, the color and shape of the inflorescences, and the height of the peduncle. Based on the color of the flowers, irises are divided into one-color, two-color - with different colors of the upper and lower lobes of the perianth, plica - with color in the form of strokes along the edges, iridescent, in which the color smoothly transitions from one tonality to another.

Based on the height of the flower stalks, irises are divided into 3 groups:

Short or dwarfs - up to 37 cm

Medium height – 37 – 70 cm

Tall varieties - more than 70 cm, excellent for cutting

Video on how to plant irises correctly? Why don't irises bloom?