Irises Can Be Chosen For Continuous Display

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30977, 5 February 1966, Page 12

Irises Can Be Chosen For Continuous Display

Irises have many uses in the garden and as cut flowers for floral arrangements. Although their flowering period lasts at the most for a week or a week or two, careful selection from among the varieties and numerous species, can give a continuous display of large, spectacular coloured blooms for most of the year.

Just some idea of their overlapping flowering season can be gained from the following reference.

English Iris flower approximately during December and January. Tingitana Iris from July to September. Wedgewood in October. Dutch Iris in October and November.

Spanish Iris in November. This large iris family has two main divisions.

The first group is known as the bulbous group which forms a dormant bulb.

The bulbous group includes the rather spasmodic flowering Tingitana iris. This blue flowered iris is the earliest to come into bloom and flowers from about July until September. Extreme temperatures, both in summer and winter, are required for satisfactory flowering; hot, dry conditions being favoured during the summer but the flowers are slightly frost tender.

The Reticulatas

The reticuiatas are rather dwarf plants and include Iris reticulata, with its violet or purple colour with a gold stripe on the falls, the flowers and leaves appearing almost simultaneously; Iris histrio, which comes into flower only after it is in full leaf; and Iris histroides, which comes into bloom before the leaves are produced and is perhaps the least attractive of this group.

As these irises are never fully dormant they should not be left out of the ground too long after lifting. They form ideal rock garden subjects, and are suitable for growing in unheated houses or in pots and can be used with distinction in narrow raised borders. Planting can be done now covering with If inches of soil. Of the other subdivision of bulbous iris, the Xiphium irises, to which the previously mentioned Tingitana also belongs, the Dutch Wedgewoods are October flowering. These blue irises are very susceptible to virus infection which results in streaked foliage and “breaks" in the flower colour.

The Dutch Irises themselves come next and their flowering period extends between October and November. Varieties are available in an increasingly wider range of colour, shade predominating blue, bronze, white and yellow. They have preference for moist conditions during the summer months.

During November one can expect the Spanish irises to bloom. These are in effect smaller editions of the Dutch, which were developed from them. Their stems are shorter and their leaves narrower but good varieties of colours including shades of orange, pure white and blue should enable them to compete on equal terms for a plac* in the garden. The last to come into flower in the bulbous group is the English Iris, between the end of December and ’ January.

The leaves of the English Iris do not appear above ground till spring. Although the colour range can be diversified by growing from seed, blue is the predominating colour amongst these bulbs which, because of the short period between bulb ripening and new growth or root development, should be lifted as soon as the foliage has dried off and replanted. Second Group The second main group of irises, the rhizomatous, includes the bearded, beardless and crested members and can be subdivided into two main divisions. There is the so. called Pogon or bearded group, to which the flag or German iris belongs, flowering in November and early December. Both dwarf and tall growing forms are available in a wide range of colours. The second group, the Apogons or beardless Irises, form the biggest group in the rhizomatous section. This group can be further subdivided but it is rather complex and it should suffice to mention the names of a few of the more well known ones.

These Include Iris Stylosa, a bluish coloured tris of small stature which flowers from May till October; the Japanese iris which requires a moist root run for successful growth and flowering and is available in many colours; the so-called Siberian irises which are easier to cultivate than the Japanese and give rise to masses of grassy leaves and tall' slender stems bearing flowers of blue, violet, dark purple, red purple and white in January (they possess an easily identifiable characteristic In that they are the only irises which possess hollow stems); the Californian irises which are native to the Pacific coast of North America and are prolific bloomers with, up till now, a far greater reputation overseas than in New Zealand; Iris Innominata which is a beautiful little flowering plant with a wide range of colours; and others.

The diagram shows:— 1. Standards. 2. Falls 3. Beard. 4. Crest.