Iris

15cm - 1,5m
Planting position: Full sun or semi-shade. Wind-protected area. Ideal for areas with high summer rainfall. Areas without extreme heat and humidity.
Requires regular watering during growing season, otherwise kept dry. Compost-enriched soil. Application of complete fertiliser when planting. Application of superphosphate before flowering. Watch out for slugs, snails, fungal diseases.
Propagate from division after flowering.

For more information, see Perennials.


The main Iris groups are:

Bearded Irises
Flowering mainly in winter and spring, this plant’s flowers all have hairy outer petals, like beards. Plants vary in size and should be planted accordingly.

Beardless Irises
These plants have attractive foliage and spring flowers are in shades from brown, orange-pink, yellow, tones of blue, purple and white.

Crested Irises
These plants have evergreen, glossy foliage and long-lasting spring flowers. The orchid-shaped flowers vary in colour from lilac to mauve-blue. The crests on the outer petals remind one of cockscombs.

Reticulata Irises
These long- and spring-flowering plants’ blooms vary in colour from usually blue, purple and sometimes yellow. Its bulbs have a net-type cover.

Siberian Irises
The spring flowers last long and range in shades from mauve to faded blue, veined purple. These flowers are beardless.

Spuria Irises
These plants have stiff, sword-like foliage and beardless spring flowers in colours from blue, mauve, brown and yellow.

Xiphium Irises
The spring-flowers range from yellow, white and purple to mauve to pale blue.


Irises and their colours:

I. danfordiae has sweetly scented golden flowers.
I. fulva a water iris with flowers blue, white, tones of red and yellow.
I. innominata is beardless with numerous flowers in lavender to dark golden shades.
I. japonica of the crested group have spreading branches and enjoys shade.
I. kaemperi is a water plant with blooms in shades from purple through to white.
I. reticulata has faded blue to purple flowers.
I. xiphium with golden and rich blue flowers.