I just received a circular email from an English plant nursery, and it included this quite interesting explanation of how to have iris blooms every month of the year:
"January - species from the reticulata group - Iris danfordiae, Iris histroides
and Iris bakeriana
February - the later flowering reticulata hyrbids - Iris reticulata George,
Katherine Hodgson, Pauline, Ailda and many more
March - the wild card! From the Juno group, Iris bucharia which requires a wall
sheltered position or greenhouse to flower.
April - the florists Iris or Dutch Iris group - Iris xiphium, Iris latifolia,
Iris tingitiana and Iris x hollandica
May - the flamboyant Bearded Iris and its many cultivars
June - Iris sibirica group including - Iris sibirica, Iris sanguinea, Iris
chrysographes and Iris forrestii
July - Iris spuria and its many cultivars. Very tall specimens and easy to
grow. The native flag, Iris pseudacorus
August - Iris ensata - the Japanese Iris
September - Our second native species - Iris foetidissima or 'the stinking
Iris'
October - Remontant bearded Irises, meaning repeat flowering. Iris Rosalie
Figge reliably repeat flowers in the Autumn
November - Iris unguicularis - not to be moved too often for it sulks and will
not flower!
December - Iris lazica, the easier yet just as beautiful cousin to the I.
unguicularis."
I had no idea - time to branch out! I've been planning to get some ensata irises, so maybe I'll start there.
