May is when gardeners become conscious that irises are valuable hardy perennials. The tall bearded irises have come a long way from the “flags” of grandmother’s day.
The new irises, developed over the last 25 years, are long-stemmed, well-branched, floriferous, and display a glorious array of colors.
They are not to be compared to the dull blues and light yellows that we sometimes find in old cemeteries or country churchyards.
The modern iris has petals that are not flimsy or droopy. It has a heavy substance and fine texture, and the blooms have style and poise. Good branching qualities display each bloom separately.
Iris provides the perennial garden with its most spectacular color of the year. Especially here in Mid-America, where the iris seems to enjoy our climate, is this versatile flower appreciated?
Have you ever been asked to view someone’s prized irises only to be led back to see rows and rows of flowers in regimental order? Don’t you wonder why these lovely plants are not arranged to show their beauty and perfection?
Groupings of colors, sizes, and the choice of companion plants all offer challenging possibilities. The iris combines well with other plants. Its foliage is a garden asset all season long.
Uses of Iris
The iris may be used in many ways with all these good attributes. Place a clump by a gateway or garden entrance as an accent.
Please place them between climbing roses in front of a fence or wall. Put them at the base of the garden steps. Plant them in clumps before evergreens or an irregular ribbon along a drive.
Put a handsome variety beside the mailbox (an admirable use for one of the colors). Tall or intermediate varieties do well along the drywall base—and if the wall has a south exposure, so much the better.
The intermediates may grow from 1’ to 2’ feet high and adapt well in many rock garden situations. ‘Eleanor Roosevelt,’ a blue-purple, ‘Alaska,’ a lovely white, and ‘Pigmy Gold,’ a yellow, are only a few of these that can be used.
For an all-iris planting, edge a path with dwarf irises, back it with intermediates, and then with tall bearded irises—put Harison’s yellow roses on a fence or trellis behind it all for a bank of beautiful color in May.
Mixing The Colors
Much could be said about combining iris colors. Yet, these flowers are so generally harmonious that you need help to make them look good.
It is a good rule to use complementary colors together—the yellows and bronzes with the blues and purples—plant light yellows and browns together—also creams and browns.
The experience of a season or two will show which varieties bloom simultaneously and look good together. Part of the fun with irises is moving or planning to move certain varieties to make the perfect picture.
As for the new pinks with tangerine beards, we now get so many shades of pink that we have quite a choice. Most of these combine beautifully with other colors and produce a startling effect.
Delicate pinks go with pale blue, deep purple, or maroon; even some new brown shades go well with the pinks. White serves as a foil for strong color relief.
Use lots of white, cream, and pale blue to subdue vivid colors—but be careful to use these in sizable clumps rather than spottily through the planting.
If you use an iris in semi-shaded areas, emphasize the light colors (whites, yellows, light blues) to show the best advantage in the shadows.
Put deep colors, maroons, purples, dark blues, and brown blends where the sun will brighten and show rich coloring.
Companion Plants
In the perennial border, there are many excellent companions for the iris. Use lots of columbine for its contrasting foliage.
Sweet Rocket (Hesperis), coralbells, blue salvia, and pyrethrum are good materials. In the spaces between the iris, clumps use narcissus and lilies to lead into the iris season and to bloom afterward.
Hybrid hemerocallis, phlox, penstemons, and chrysanthemums are also used with iris to keep the garden in bloom. And always pay attention to the peony, traditionally the flowering companion of the iris.
With roses for a backdrop, irises and peonies will make the garden a bower of bloom in May and the first of June.
Besides the tall bearded types, try some of the other irises. Siberian iris thrives in semi-shade or full sun.
When left undisturbed for several years, it makes thick and showy clumps ranging from white through the blues to deep purple and wine. It is one of the finest plants for the perennial border, prolonging the iris blooming season.
Japanese iris differs from other irises in that it requires more water, acid soil, and dry feet in winter. The colors range from pink, red, blue, lavender, and purple to white.
This iris is recommended for tall borders. It and the Louisiana iris are ideal for planting around pools, ponds, and low places.
Dutch iris makes a delightful companion for tulips and is especially good for cutting. Be careful to note where you plant these, as they become dormant and disappear during summer.
The winsome dwarf irises are right at home in a rock garden. So early and free flowering, they are true miniatures of their splendid relatives. Some of these little fellows are so short that the tips of their petals touch the ground.
Let them form a colony atop a stone outcropping or drywall. Or use them as edgings in the informal flower beds. ‘Tiny Tony,’ a purple; ‘Keepsake,’ a yellow; and ‘Fairy Flax,’ a light blue, are a few that will fit into any rockery.
Modern Tall Bearded Iris Varieties
Here are some reliable modern tall bearded iris varieties in each color class.
This is not all-inclusive but represents some of the most consistently popular and available varieties over the last ten years.
- White—Snow Flurry, Lady Boscawen, Sharkskin
- Cream and Lemon—Desert Song
- White and Yellow Effect—Moonlight Madonna
- Bright Yellow—Ola Kala, Golden Eagle
- Orange, Tan, and Brown Effects—Rocket, Chamois
- Red and Red Effect—Solid Mahogany
- Pink and Pink Effect—Pink Cameo, Spindrift, China Maid
- Light Blue and Lavender—Blue Rhythm, Helen McGregor
- Medium Blue—Pierre Menard
- Mauve and Violet Effect—Elmohr
- Purple—Sable, Vatican Purple
- White Plicata (white with colored veinings) —Blue Shimmer, Minnie Colquitt
- Bicolors and Bitones—Lady Mohr, Wabash
- Blends and Polychromos—Prairie Sunset, Bryce Canyon
44659 by Bea Satterlee