I grow bearded, Siberian, and Japanese. I do like the bearded when they bloom but the foliage tends to look ratty later in the summer. I don't have any of the "latest" beardeds but do order occasionally from Iris City Gardens to pick up one or two for myself or my client.

I have a few of Dr. Currier McEwan's siberian and japanese iris. I am more into these types as the foliage holds up better. There are some really gorgeous japanese iris out there. I am partial to the blue ones, I have a few "true blue" colored S. irises.

Hi veilchen :-)

You live in my favorite state. :-)
I have seen some very pretty siberian iris and I agree with your assessment of the Japanese Iris. They are really very different looking. The one I've liked the best so far, is 'Paintbrush'. Currier McEwan is from Maine and wrote a book on Japanese Iris, didn't he? I didn't read his book but I did read the book Grand Masters of Maine Gardening and pretty sure he was one of the gardens she profiled. Great book by the way. I just did a google search and didn't find any company offering his iris, just his book. What are some of your favorites, and do you have a garden center near you that sells his iris?

Right now I have some of the shorter iris that were given to me. They are very nice and actually the foliage doesn't look bad at all. I've pulled off a few brown leaves that's all. I hear the tall beardeds are not as good in the foliage department. Well, I am with you on that point, if the foliage does not hold up, it wouldn't last in my garden long. I am always pulling leaves that don't look very good.

So, you haven't been tempted by any of the hybrid tall beardeds? I just ordered a couple from Mid America and I was planning on ordering a couple more from Keith Keppel's catalog.

Are there any iris that you would recommend that you found to be a good performer?

Oh, I see from your member page, that you also grow roses and vegetables. Your vegetable garden sounds so attractive. I grow a little in raised beds and what would a summer be without a vegetable garden? [g]

I also just bought my first David Austin Rose and the jury is still out. I was looking for a yellow rose and couldn't find what I was looking for when I came across Golden Celebration without a flower on it. The foliage was pristine at the time so I brought it home. Right now, I am not very happy with how it is looking. I am giving it some slack though, since I did a bad thing by planting it late in June when it was pretty hot. I am hoping that next year it will do much better. The roses are pretty but they hang down which isn't one of my favorite traits. Maybe it would do well as a climber. [g]

I notice you do a lot to improve your soil. Does that mean you are an organic gardener? Do you grow your roses organically? Which is your best performing rose?

Thanks veilchen :-)
pm2

A lot of people here, including me, are regulars on the Perennials forum and maybe that's why there are not so many posts about irises here. Just a guess.

I grow lots of Siberians and a few Japanese. I don't have much sun and voles/chipmunks have been a problem eating roots but these irises are certainly one of my top perennials. I have mostly blue-purple but some deep pink, including Carrie Lee, a terrific performer, and Eric the Red. I also have an unnamed white that I love.

I was looking for that siberian iris you mentioned, ginny...Carrie Lee...and I came across a siberian iris called 'ego'. [g]
That is a pretty iris, ginny. Is it violet colored? I love terrific performers, don't you?

I don't have voles much but starting to get chipmunks. Do iris attract them?

I will have to go over to the Perennial forum and do a search for iris posts.

Do you have any favorite Japanese iris?

Thanks ginny, :-)

If you have sandy soil, particularly dry sand, bearded iris should do well for you. If you have a heavier, more water retentive soil, they can rot. Here, where soil is usually between heavy and heavier, the usual recommendations are to stick with medians and historics, and avoid the newer TBs unless you know they do well locally. Even with historics, I find I do better with iris bred in a place it rains, like New York or France.

There used to be a dwarf/median nursery somewhere In Mass (or maybe Conn?), but I've forgotten the name. Maybe I can find the catalog somewhere. They would have a good feel for what does well locally.

hi mad_gallica..

No, I don't have sandy soil. Clay but loamy clay I think. It doesn't collect water anywhere in the yard and the bed I will add them to is raised a little with a rock border. I have the shorter iris growing there now and they seemed to do fine over the winter and this year the foliage has really looked good.

So, if I try to grow TBs, will I get a couple of years out of them before they rot? [g] I guess people must have tried them and were frustrated enough not to grow them at all?

Well, I guess I am going to have to experiment, and not invest too much money into them. I will keep in mind your tip to look for growers in France or New York.

You don't have any personal favorites?

thanks :-)

Well, I grow a few iris, but I have to admit I don't know much about them. I got a couple from a swap (including some gorgeous light and dark purple siberians - I think - from Sue (vtskiers) - I think.) I also bought a few, strictly becauses I liked the way they looked.

One of my favorites is a dwarf dark purple bearded that was sold as Royal Knight, but I don't think it really is. Either way, it is nicely prolific, and I've had it rebloom as late as November several years. But talk about dwarf! I've had blooms on stalks that were six or eight inches tall!

Skating Party
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unknown siberian
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unknown bearded
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Funny story - the friend who gave me the above unknown bearded gave me several divisions from her garden. The next season I had the most gorgeous pale peach iris! I loved it. Later that season, my friend says to me, "Gee, I don't understand it - I had this gorgeous peach iris last year, and it didn't come back for me this year!" Needless to say, I had to give her some back that fall, lol!

:)
Dee

That is a funny story Dee. Reminds me of something I could do. lol A good reminder to start labeling things in the yard.
Very pretty irises. I do like the lighter colors of the siberian, because I don't see those too often.

This is an old picture of Flavescens, which is an early 19th century semi-species.

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It's an iris that is fairly common around here as an old NOID (no ID iris) Another really old one that has done quite well for me is Quaker Lady, which is purplish brown with sparkles.

If you get can an iris through the first winter after dividing/planting, it will generally return pretty well after that. It's the first winter, when the root system isn't developed enough to handle the water in the soil that the problems really show up. This is assuming there isn't a real borer problem, since those can cause major rot also. Since older iris tend towards the quite cheap, it's not unreasonable to just buy some and see what lives. Newer iris aren't nearly as expensive as new daylily introductions can be, but IMO I want a fair amount of confidence the stupid thing is going to grow before spending more than $10 for a rhizome.

That's a pretty scene MG. I like the color of your house and your pathway. I have heard of Quaker Lady before. I will have to look for that one.

Thanks for explaining NOID...I had seen that before and didn't know what it meant.

I think I should be getting my first order any day now and I plan on putting them in as soon as they arrive. It seems to me that there isn't much of a window to plant purchased rizhomes. Unless I am missing something. They don't sell them in the spring, right? They have to wait to divide them until mid summer? Then you order in mid summer and you are supposed to have them in the ground around here by the middle of August? Or can you order them earlier?

At any rate, I have made one order of 3 iris under $10 and one $12. So I will be happy if most of them make it. :-)

Do you have any planting tips? They will come bare root, right? It has been a very hot couple of days that they were shipping them to me I think. I do worry about that a little. I imagine I should water them well in this warm weather and shade them for a week? They will come with planting directions too, I suppose. I know getting the depth correct is important.

I was planning on mulching them well this winter and then I read that you shouldn't mulch. Surprise.

Well..thanks for the pretty picture and the information.
You must have a very pretty garden. :-)

pm2

When it comes to bearded iris, forget everything you think you know about plants because it is probably wrong :-) We are talking about something that has been known to survive being forgotten in car trunks in August for several months. Seriously. In ways they are closer in culture to spring bulbs than normal perennials. Which makes sense since they often come from the same climate. A lot of bearded iris species are native to Turkey and southern Europe around the Adriatic. It's a climate that is very hot and dry during the summer, and many plants have evolved to do dormant during that time.

So iris are dug and shipped in the heat of summer because that's when they go dormant. They don't need a lot of water when planted, and too much can lead to the evil rot. Water them once to settle the ground, then leave them. They are planted with their rhizome backs in the sun - above ground. Heavily amended soil can hold too much water for them, and if recently dug can sink around the rhizome leaving it too low. I usually walk around a recently dug iris bed to compact things a bit.

Mulching bearded iris is very much a no-no around here, as are practically all companion plants - they shade the rhizomes too much. So weeds are a really bad problem with iris.

Most of my iris were acquired locally. I have ordered from Texas. I've been told that rhizomes from the west coast are usually poorly acclimated to here, and should be left to dry out a bit before planting.

MG...what great information and all new to me. I guess that is why my iris that I planted last year is doing very well this year. We have been very dry. I also didn't realize that was the reason they ship in the summer. I guess I don't have to worry about the heat killing them. [g] Great.

Not sure I understand iris 'backs'? The top of the rhizome or the stem that sticks up? Gee they should like the bed they are going in..barely amended and not too soft. Plus it is a raised bed.

So when you say companion plants are a no no, you don't mean they must grow alone, right? Do you mean, just don't allow anything to grow too closely and nothing in front that will shade the plant? But, I have seen fields of iris growing together and they appear to be right on top of each other. At least it looked that way in the photo.

My current order was from MidAmerica which is in Oregon. So when you say left to dry out a bit, could you explain a bit more about how I should handle them when they arrive?

Oh, btw, where do you buy your iris locally?

Thanks MG :-)

I got some nice iris at this forum's plant swap 2 years ago... some Siberian and some bearded (purple and white and yellow and white-- very lovely). They're one of my favorite flowers, and now I'm determined to go move mine from the old yard to the new house. Fortunately, the current residents of the old place don't mind my coming back to divide or just take my plants, so I can even do this in daylight. ;-) Maybe this weekend if I have time!

greening...I got my iris at the swap at idabean's house. A purple and a yellow and white..lol. Not sure if they are the same or not. Also siberian iris Cesear's Brother from Chelone at the same swap. I have enjoyed them so much that I am interested in trying some more.

Glad you can go back and get your plants. Really nice people to do that. Some people can be very unwilling to do that. I didn't realize that you moved to a new house. So when you were asking for design help for the front yard, was that your new house? You must have had a lot of plants to move. :-)

I have found Siberian Iris to be a carefree plant which requires almost zero care. About 7 years ago I got 2 in small pots and planted them and now they each take up about 1 square yard and they just keep growing. They seem to be immune to pests, even the meadow voles. My only regret is their blooming period is rather short.

I am thinking I will dig some up and transplant them though I am not sure if spring or fall is the best time of year? Cheers, JK

Hi jack...what about overlapping bloom times? Do siberian iris all bloom at the same time or are some earlier and later?
Which varieties do you have?

One group will bloom first and they are purple and then the next group which is dark blue/purple will bloom. Usually each group will flower for a couple weeks in the early part of the year, June up here.

But I don't know the varieties, can't recall. Picked them up on sale for maybe $1 each 7-8 years ago.

I have several varieties of iris, but they are unnamed cause they either came with the house or came from friends who didnt know what they were. But I have plenty so if anyone is interested, I can bring some to mayalena's fall swap.
Lots of purple, blue, and white siberian iris.
Lots of yellow bearded iris (huge patch on the south side of my 60 year old house), like these:

Hi prairiemoon--I haven't been able to visit the NE forum in a few days and just saw your questions.

I grow everything organically EXCEPT the roses--which I would if it weren't for japanese beetles. I sometimes use a fungicide as a preventative against fungal disease, but this year I haven't sprayed and am seeing some black spot, but nothing terrible.

Dr. McEwan was the premier breeder of J. and S. iris, he lived in Harpswell, ME in his retirement and this was his "hobby". Sharon Whitney carries on his work since he passed away a few years ago at 101, at Eartheart Farm down the road. She has an open house day in both June and July so people can view/buy the S. and J. Fieldstone Farm does mailorder and sells many of Dr. McEwan's older crosses. His irises are actually available all over, I found 'Ever Again' at a local nursery.

As you can see, I'm a sucker for blue.

I don't have any good pics of the Japanese I have. This year I have been partial to the pinks.

Hi Sunshineboy..What pretty pictures your iris make! Very nice of you to offer your iris for the swap. I'm not sure I am going to the swap yet, but I have iris from a swap I went to 2 years ago and just ordered some more, so I am all set for iris for the time being.

Maybe if you post to the fall swap thread, someone might have a need for them?
Thanks for the offer and for posting your photos. They look so healthy and certainly have a proven track record. :-)

veilchen...I just planted 3 roses this summer as a trial to see if I will be able to do them organically or not. So far, they are just okay. I am already having problem foliage on the bottom on two of them. I think it is too early to tell though, because I think they have been pretty stressed this year, with going into the ground late and drought and heat to deal with. We'll see how they do next year.

Thanks for the photos..yes, I see you do like blue! [g] Very blue iris, aren't they! The bloom reminds me of a Siberian. Thanks for the information about where to find Dr. McEwan's irises. I am done ordering for this year and depending on how they do next year, I may try to find some of his.

Thanks :-)
pm2

sunshineboy, if you can spare about three of the one in picture 2... I think it's gorgeous!

prairiemoon, yup, that was the new place. Not planning to be there more than 5 or 6 years, so again I'll be leaving just as the garden is starting to look like something. *G* Ah, well. The plants just fly Shovel Airlines and I'm sure next season they'll be good as new.

greening...if the garden is just starting to look like something it will be large enough to divide and travel. Shovel Airlines...lol. Who knows, by then you might be thinking your plant material or design decisions didn't work out the way you like and you will be glad to have the opportunity to start over. Probably with a larger area to create in too. :-)

A larger area, definitely! The next house can be the size of a shoebox but I am going to hold out for the biggest lot I can find. :-)

I'm with you, next house...larger lot! :-)

I don't seem to be able to kill any of them!

I don't have anything particularly noteworthy (if you're into shopping for named varieties), but I have enough Sibirian iris to beautify rte. 95 ( ;)! ). And I have more than enough "German" Iris to readily fill the two/three/FOUR?! BEDS soon to reveal themselves.

Interestingly, I have more trouble with the Japanese iris... a surprise given the low, moist nature of our lot. but I do "OK" with those, too.

Hi chelone :-)

I have some of your Siberian iris! lol I really should rename them Rte 95 iris. :-) I just found out from someone on the iris forum who is planning on going into the iris business in 2008, that she has over 100 varieites of siberian iris so far. I didn't even know there were that many. They seem indestructible.

So tell me, are all your German iris unnamed? Are they tall bearded, or other? I haven't tried the Japanese, and guess I won't considering I have dry soil pretty much and no low spots to speak of.

Have any photos of some of your iris?

:-)

If you have an interest in Siberian Iris, you should make yourself aware of this breeders' nursery near Acton, MA.

Thanks york rose. :-)
I saw about 6 varieties that I would like to have. Very pretty!

You should be able to find their phone number. Give them a call and see if they still have anything of interest to you. They're very nice people!

Thanks again, york rose! :-)