Iris (I’ris) is a large genus of mostly hardy flowering plants most with perennial rootstocks or bulbs.
Irises grow wild in temperate countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Most Irises bloom in May and June.
The structure of Iris flowers differs from most plants. The three outer perianth segments (petals) known as falls hang down; the other three stand erect and are known as standards.
June is a joyous time, for its iris-time. Everywhere, gardens large and small, private and public, even nursery rows — are a glow with the rainbow flowers in all their ravishing colors. To these displays, areas come the iris fans and the beauty lovers, gathering in tiny groups or throngs, to both appreciate and study … Read more
Would you like your garden to attract the attention of all who pass by? If so, plant Japanese iris, Iris kaempferi. This large, graceful iris comes into bloom in late May, June, or July, depending upon the section of the country, just as the last tall bearded iris have faded and the English iris is … Read more
Perhaps you haven’t seen irises lately. You may recall them as those early fleeting blooms in drab violets or washed-out yellows seen everywhere some 60 years ago, thriving on neglect but adding little to the beauty or variety of the garden. Or maybe you have acquired a new taste for the iris, but find the … Read more
For more than 400 years the Japanese have cultivated a kind of iris almost entirely unknown to the average American gardener. Near Tokyo there is the garden Kotaka-en where these unfamiliar beauties have been grown and improved since early in the 17th century. What has kept them from American gardeners? Mostly the myth that they … Read more
It seems strange that the beautiful iris of the Pacific Coast is so little used in gardens elsewhere. They are perhaps the most misunderstood beauties of our time, for they seem reluctant in Eastern gardens. They are not rivals of the tall German iris in culture or form, although they can be colorful and striking … Read more
Late spring or early summer is the time for tall bearded iris, the most popular of the many species and hybrids of the iris family. Varied and lovely are the hundreds of named varieties. Siberian iris, too, appears this season. Close clumps of upright, slender foliage, almost concealed with an abundance of dainty bloom in … Read more
The butterfly or spuria iris are unequaled for hardiness, dependable bloom, and usefulness as cut flowers. In moist climates, their foliage may be subject to spotting like the bearded iris, but their tall sword-like leaves are attractive through the greater part of the year in most sections of the country. Butterfly Iris Species Like those … Read more
We have all heard of the pot of gold that, according to legend, lies at the end of the rainbow, and haven’t we all wished we might journey to the rainbow’s end and try our luck at finding it? The chances are that none of us ever will, but there is another gift the rainbow … Read more
I cannot recall any other genus of plants, except primula, that begins to match the iris in size and shape of flowers, range of colors, and adaptability to various garden uses. The bearded iris group is the most widely-grown, including tall, intermediate, and dwarf kinds. The less common oncocyclus and regalia groups are not well … Read more
My husband had been perfectly happy raising iris for his own pleasure for 10 years when a friend suggested that he enter the annual iris show. He didn’t take to the idea at all. He hadn’t even let me cut iris for the house unless a rain or wind storm had laid them flat, so … Read more