Our section of Idaho is irrigated country, and to us who garden here, it presents its particular problems. I am an iris enthusiast. These flowers are one of the most beautiful and satisfactory of all perennials.
No matter where the iris is planted, they must be set high enough so no water will ever stand on them. In this irrigated country, that point is more important than ever. I have placed hundreds of iris literally on irrigating-ditch banks or in rows with small ditches.
All of them are banked up so that the rhizomes are well above water level, although the roots get thoroughly soaked every watering day. I doubt I’ve lost more than five out of that many hundred. They were planted, so the rhizome is covered with about an inch of soil.
Growing Iris With Other Plants
I have had several problems planting and growing the iris with other flower companions on the borders. First, I tried them with Oriental poppies, which made a fine display but weren’t suitable for the iris themselves. Poppies make a big clump in a few years, and the bigger the lump, the better the floral display. The iris suffered from crowding, so I moved the poppies.
Next, I tried planting the iris in combination with chrysanthemums, the theory being that they would bloom in June while the latter was small and the chrysanthemums later on after the iris had been cut back.
The trouble with this was that the chrysanthemums grew tall enough to overtop the iris long before they were ready to bloom. The older iris chimps can take a minor crowding in their stride, but the newly planted ones are almost elbowed aside by rapidly growing mums.
Iris In Full Sunlight
Although the iris does best in full sunlight, I have tried them on the north side of the house, using large clumps that were quickly established. This is against all authority, and I would hate to risk new plants there, but the old plants all survived and bloomed as plentifully as any others, although a week or so later than the same iris varieties in sunlight.
In transplanting, which I do any time of year when the ground isn’t frozen, I find it best to wait until after blooming. Moving the plants before this often leaves no flowers until the following year.
I never group less than three “fans” together in a triangle and sometimes use up to three or four times that many, grouped in a flattened circle, with one or two in the center, and I turn all the fans in one direction for a neat-looking row or bed.
Bonemeal dug in when planting, and superphosphate applied in spring has given me the best results.
42814 by CW Vallette