Shorter irises with long blooming periods?

16 years ago

I have tall reblooming irises, which I love, but would like to have some variety in the size of the plants themselves. I realize that the shorter irises don't rebloom but I'd like to know if there are any of the smaller ones that have a very long blooming cycle.

Thanks very much to anyone who can help me with this.

Ingrid

P.S. Anxious and Again and Again have four and five buds respectively with one gorgeous bloom on Again and Again. As someone who is new to irises this is a really thrilling experience.

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Comments (6)

laurief_gw
16 years ago
The miniature and standard dwarf bearded irises generally perform best in areas with substantial winter freeze, so you may not get much bloom out of them in SoCal. OTOH, there are hybridizers on the West Coast who work with SDBs, so perhaps some of their cultivars would do OK for you. There are, also, both MDBs and SDBs that rebloom.

You might also want to look into the Pacific Coast Native irises. They are short and native to the PNW (I believe). I'm not sure how far south they grow, but you could contact iris growers in your area and see if they are an option for you.

Laurie
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
Original Author
16 years ago
Laurie, thank you so much for your answer. I'm tremendously excited to know that there are shorter rebloomers too. I checked on one of the iris vendor sites and sure enough, there they were. There don't seem to be as many as the tall beardeds, but I'm just so glad there are any at all. I'm sure I'll be able to find what I'm looking for.

Thanks again!

Ingrid
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iris_gal
16 years ago
Ingrid,

I hate to rain on your parade but I moved from zone 10 (SoCal) to zone 9 and was eager to grow many things that needed winter chill.

After a lot of $$$ and work, I found I. pumila (aka SDB) were not too happy here. 'Chanted' by Barry Blyth in Australia was one happy exception. All the MDB's wasted away.

The IB's, BB's and MTB's do fine. They're shorter than TB's. There are rebloomers amoungst these 2 groups. (there are reblooming SDB's too)

Hopefully we'll see some input from gardeners in your area. Are you near the beach or inland?
sparxiris
16 years ago
Do you get sufficient winter chill where you are, if you are in zone 9? I am zone 9 and get frosts down to minus 5 in winter. Up the hill a bit and still zone 9, and not as much chill, so not so much bloom.
BTW - I. pumila are not the same s SDB. I. pumila is a species. SDB are hybrids.
CHeers, Jan in Aus
iris_gal
16 years ago
Thanks Jan. I should have said descended from I. pumila.

This part of central CA is the warmer end of USDA zone 9 (ocean influence). Last winter was a chilly one --- hibiscus froze. The exception. Lows this week are 37-39 F.
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
Original Author
16 years ago
I'm sorry, I haven't been on the iris forum lately, but thanks for all your input. I'm still not comfortable with all the abbreviations for the different iris groups and sizes, being mainly an old rose gardener, but that will surely change now that I know what the possibilities are with reblooming irises.

I live about 20 miles inland and about 1500 feet up, but we generally don't have prolonged or severe freezes here. Last winter was unusually cold and I don't know yet what this one will be like. Which are the varieties that need winter chill, or is that true for all of them? I don't see too many irises here, but there are some, so I'm hoping that it is cold enough for them to prosper.

Ingrid

Shorter irises with long blooming periods?

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Shorter irises with long blooming periods?

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laurief_gw

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