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Siberian iris recommendations

NHBabs z4b-5a NH

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Someone on another forum asked for some Siberian iris recommendations, and I really didn't have any particular cultivars that I felt strongly enough about to recommend over other Siberians. In general I love the colors and forms, but the bloom period is short. I would love some recommendations for myself since so far my choices have been somewhat hit or miss. I am less concerned with color since my garden is large enough that I could most likely find spots for almost any color. Instead I would love suggestions of plants that have a somewhat longer season of bloom, either because they have a higher bud count per stem so that the bloom time is lengthened or because they continue to send out stems for longer or because they are remontant and will bloom later in the season. Thanks.

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Comments (2)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
6 years ago
Babs, I used to grow a bunch of different cultivars in my old garden....just not a big fan of bearded iris.....but I don't recall any that had a very long bloom period and for sure none of mine were remontant! As best as I can remember, these are most of what I grew (nothing very exotic):

Flight of Butterflies

Butter and Sugar

Ruffed Velvet

Shaker's Prayer

Chartreuse Bounty

Roaring Jelly

Over in Gloryland.

I now focus on species iris and Pacific Coast hybrids but some of the newer cultivars of Sibes have some really amazing coloring - Cream of Tomato and Paprikash are calling to me :-)
NHBabs z4b-5a NH thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
T. Tran
6 years ago
It seems to me that bloom time and repeat blooming aren't well recorded for Siberian irises. However, I see that reputable vendors such as Joe Pye Weed's Garden, Ensata Gardens, Mt Pleasant Iris Farm, and Aitken Salmon Creek Garden list certain varieties as repeat bloomers and sometimes comment on the length and/or strength of bloom. JPW is in your neck of the woods, Babs. I've had limited experience growing SIBs, but these vendors, who are also hybridizers, have earned their reputation over time and are incredibly well respected. Check out their websites.

Please let us know what you end up buying for your garden!
NHBabs z4b-5a NH thanked T. Tran
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You can't go wrong with Ensata Gardens. Here are some others: Windwood Gardens - great prices on beautiful Sibs - cyberiris@netscape.net Chehalem Gardens - a great reputation for quality plants - P.O. Box 74, Dundee, OR 97115 (503) 538-8920 Joe Pye Weed's Garden - beautiful Sibs but pricey - jpwflowers@aol.com Plantaholic Nursery - a lot of newer Sibs at extremely low prices
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I'm sorry to disagree but a "well-developed clump" of Siberian iris most certainly can be a single plant. And very often is. Unlike the beardeds or bulbous iris species, Sibes do not have bulb/rhizomes/tubers but grow from a dense, flat, fleshy root system, much the same as do daylilies. In fact their growth habit is much more like daylilies than it is bearded iris. Usually they are sold as started plants - a cluster of leaves emerging from this root system. Or sometimes bare root, which I don't recommend. If you Google siberian iris images, you should see multiple views of mature plants. Again, these are most often a single plant that has matured sufficiently to spread into a good size clump. Unless you are planning on a large sweep of the Sibes in your garden, a single start is generally adequate. It's OK to plant multiple starts together but just hastens crowding and the need to divide the clump sooner rather than later. And dividing an established clump of Sibes is nothing like digging and dividing bearded iris - it is hard, heavy work. Here is a link that might be useful: 'Butter and Sugar' siberian iris
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It's too late in the season to be planting Sibs here in MN, but there are a number of Sib growers who sell in the spring. If you want to purchase Sibs next spring, here's a list of growers who can accommodate you: Aitken's EZ Plant Joe Pye Weed's Plantaholic Nursery Ensata Gardens AllThings Iris (limited varieties available for spring shipment) Sans Souci (I think) Eartheart Gardens Fieldstone Gardens The Iris Gallery (limited varieties available for spring shipment) Fox Brook Iris Farm Mountain River Flower Farm Borglum's Iris Garden Wildwood Gardens There are other fine Sib growers who sell only later in the summer and will not do spring sales. Laurie
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