© Trails End Iris, All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated: January 2022
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Painting Your Gardens with Irises - Continued
Environmentally Friendly (Water-Wise)
Irises are extremely good plants in drought
conditions. They actually show no signs of stress when
other recommended "Xeriscape" plants often wilt. For example,
one summer when there was almost no rain, rudbeckia and
yarrows struggled in our garden. Therefore, why shouldn't
Irises be part of the environmental bandwagon. |
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Texture
Iris leaves add a strong texture to other soft
perennials. The spiky leaves add drama and height. Some
leaves even have a wonderful purple colour at the base
of the leaves and variegated leaves have silver and gold
highlights. When the outside leaves get tired, just remove
and let the new leaf growth shine. |
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Long Bloom Season
With careful designing and selection fron the
six classes of Bearded Iris, it is possible to have Irises
blooming from late April through late June and then again
in the late summer and fall with some re-blooming varieties.
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Different Heights
Bearded Iris come in a wide range of sizes from
5" to 40" tall depending on the class. If you have a very
windy spot, choose the newer and stronger Tall Beardeds.
Last summer we had a huge wind storm with funnel clouds.
Although there was damage to our locust trees; the Irises
stood tall with the exception of a few older varieties.
Maybe...
you would like something a little shorter but blooming
around the same time as the Tall Beardeds. Take a look at Border Beardeds.
They have excellent flower size, form and appearance
but with shorter stalks of about 25". They also look
great at the front of a border. (Wonder where they got
their name?) |
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Delicate and Graceful; Samson and Delilah
Some gardeners are really impressed by the size
of a flower and Irises do not disappoint. Supreme Sultan
is a huge, dramatic, Tall Bearded. The gargantuan flowers
are the largest known at 7-1/2" x 5" on ramrod stiff stems.
However;
other gardeners prefer their flowers dainty and delicate
swaying softly in the breezes. Miniature Tall Bearded
fit the bill. They bloom with the Tall and Border Bearded
irises from late May to mid June. The difference is that
they are not only shorter, about 25", they also have smaller
and more delicate flowers. They are often referred to
as "Table Irises" because they are the perfect size for
table vases. They fit nicely into a quiet, sunny corner
of your garden. |
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