Hi!

I'm looking into getting a bearded iris, and I'm fine with all types of bearded irises, though I really like dwarf ones. Any suggestions or tip would be helpful! Also, I used to have a big clump of tall bearded irises, but I don't know the name of. It has deep blue/purple/indigo lower petals, and has this strip of yellow in the middle. It has frilly light-blueish upper petals (I don't know what to call them ). I moved last year, so I don't have a photo.

- Alex (Sedumzz)

Welcome Alex!

Alex ~ to the Iris Forum!

Given your location, you might want to check out Winterberry ( http://winterberryirises.com/s... ). They grow and breed a lot of dwarf irises near Winchester, VA, which is not far from you.

KentPfeiffer said:Given your location, you might want to check out Winterberry ( http://winterberryirises.com/s... ). They grow and breed a lot of dwarf irises near Winchester, VA, which is not far from you.

Thank you for the suggestion, they all look so pretty!!

sedumzz said:Hi!
I'm looking into getting a bearded iris, ....
- Alex (Sedumzz)

Alex,
I had to laugh at the above. Wait until you look at all the beautiful iris out there. I bet you won't be able to only buy just one.

welcome to the iris forum, alex.

winterberry iris gardens also carries many reblooming iris. to extend your season of wonderful blooms, look at the season which the iris bloom, as well as the type of bearded iris. the smaller ones bloom a little earlier, and the tall bearded have a season of early, mid, and late (as well as some that rebloom).

you can't just stop at one. let that be a warning.

@shizen @iciris , you are right. After exploring winterberry iris gardens and garden.org I have decided that one is not enough.

I will look into re-blooming irises, they sound fun!

Alex!

Welcome. Love the dwarf irises also.

Alex!!! Winterberry's owners are really nice people and very knowledgeable.

Alex! You will find plenty of people here to help encourage you on your path to being an Iris addict, er, enthusiast.

Don't be surprised if you get some and then decide you need more - different colours, patterns, or even bloom times to lengthen the flowering season.

Searching the iris forums isn't as easy as it might be, but it is doable and helpful.

You might search for "favorite blues" or something. Make sure you are searching only in the iris forum otherwise you get extraneous garden forum results.

Alex to the Iris forum.
Beware of the dreaded "Iris addiction"
Many of us on the Forum suffer from it and there seems to be no" cure"
ONE IS NEVER ENOUGH !!- - -that is 1+1 +1+++++++++++++++++++++++++×++++++

Alex @sedumzz

When I began my iris growing, I started with whatever iris my parents split with me. One of them was a TB iris called 'Alcazar' (aka the Common Purple iris). It's a very hardy classic and it can withstand naturalizing.


This is what they look like. I'm sure you've seen these before.
These are some of the Common Purples I used to have next to
a naturalized row of 'Stella De Oro' daylilies (a very common daylily). I removed the iris a
couple of years ago, and planted them in a different flower bed
because the Stellas were swallowing them up.

As a kid, I was very observant, and I knew exactly where and how to get FREE bearded iris. Alex what I am about to tell you I advise you to not do so; I used to be such a rude child, and what I'm about to tell you was quite rude of me in my opinion.
There are a lot of dumpy neighborhoods in the town that I live in, and some of the houses in those areas had abandoned bearded iris. I used to ride my bike down to those neighborhoods, and knock on people's doors asking them if I could have some of their irises. Most of those individuals didn't care if I took some, and didn't know what the heck I was talking about.
I knew what I did then was just so rude. I just wanted those irises to have a better home, I didn't think they deserved being there. And it's not like those individuals cared enough about them to even notice them. To this day, I am so ashamed and feel guilty of why I did that, because I knew better, and my parents would've been ashamed of me as well if I told them.

It still makes me sad to come across a property that has abandoned it's perennials. I just wish that some people would care more about plants.

Aww, same here. Before the pandemic i helped weed my neighbors garden as they're really busy. Yes, I've seen stella de oro and alcazar before, and I think they make a good pair color wise.

@KyDeltaD
A bit too late, I think I have caught a minor case. I hope it doesn't get worse after I visit the nursery in summer

-Alex (Sedumzz)

Bearded (rhizomatous) iris aren't all that difficult in the right conditions (well no plant is in that regard... ): full, baking hot sun and excellent drainage (more so in winter) and you can't do much wrong. Place the rhizome (knobbly bit at the base of the leaves) ON the surface and the roots in the soil ofcourse.

Tip when planting: make two shallow, wide drills with some space between from which you scrape off some soil, but not nearly as deep as the drills themselves. Grab in each hand/fist about half of the roots growing from the rhizome and place the rhizome on this little hill between the drills. Spread the roots out among each side inside the drill and cover with soil up against the rhizome (this musn't be buried!) Make sure the rhizome faces south. At this point you can either cut the fans (leaves) in half or use some bent metal rod to keep the rhizome in place (windrock)

SonoveShakespeare said:Alex @sedumzz ... Alex what I am about to tell you I advise you to not do so; I used to be such a rude child, and what I'm about to tell you was quite rude of me in my opinion.
There are a lot of dumpy neighborhoods in the town that I live in, and some of the houses in those areas had abandoned bearded iris. I used to ride my bike down to those neighborhoods, and knock on people's doors asking them if I could have some of their irises. ...
To this day, I am so ashamed and feel guilty of why I did that, because I knew better, and my parents would've been ashamed of me as well if I told them.

Ian, it wasn't rude and there is no,—repeat NO—reason to feel ashamed or guilty!!!! You asked, you didn't steal, and that was perfectly acceptable. Heck, as an adult I've knocked on strangers' doors to ask for seedpods, cuttings or for identity...a few times just to tell them their gardens were beautiful Maybe the people you encountered didn't care about their plants, but most of the homeowners I've encountered are delighted that someone admired their plants and they are more than happy to talk about them. Not only was what you did perfectly okay, I think it was resourceful and admirable. Good work

Just to add, perhaps this isn't something people might feel comfortable with in these Covid days, but...again soon

Zoe

I actually got some neat old fashioned irises from those people. Most were shades of purple. I'm shocked that that those irises were able to survive for years over there, and even make a scape or two in such harsh conditions; full of weeds, grass and tons of dead iris leaves from previous years.

I may naturalize my perennials, but I never let the weeds take over.

I told you about how I got involved-- my father planted a whole yard of them-- all the same type. He used to thin them all too. About every 2 years he'd fill about 3 big black garbage bags full and just give them to anyone who wanted to pick through them. That Iris went around. I'll bet they are still in some yards in that town. Unfortunately, I just started to work on an iris garden a few years ago. They really do divide at a nice speed. But I have a mix of unknowns and several knowns but nothing "important."