I wanted to shared this link. I really liked the companion plants and that each iris is identified. Please add videos that you find online!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

That was wonderful. I'd like to see more videos like this one!

I would love to see more videos like that too

I did notice, though that a couple of the labels were not for the irises which had just been shown. Otherwise it was wonderful!

enjoyed the video. Have been to Schreiners during iris conventions.

Henry ~ Thank you for sharing, and to the Iris Forum!

evelyninthegarden said:Henry ~ Thank you for sharing, and to the Iris Forum!

Welcome, and thank you from me too.

Henry, I also appreciate the video. It showed me what flowers can be planted in a bed with Irises. I am totally new to Irises. I divided my Irises that I had been given about 9 years ago and simply stuck in the ground because I needed a quick place for them. This year I divided them for the first time and am replanting them. I tried planting them correctly, and spacing them adequately, however I'm not sure what to plant in between them so that after they bloom there will just be nothing. I am going to plant three Queen Elizabeth roses in that bed, and have two Clematis vines in the center. After watching the video I wi;ll probably plant several Columbine colors in between. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Yes, columbines, lupine (too hot for it here, though), digitalis, roses, peonies, chives, allium, onithogallum all bloom with the irises. And all but the roses are resistant to deer and groundhogs.

I've gotten paranoid about covering the rhizomes either with dirt or shade from other plants, etc. Yet in the video it looked like there were a lot of other plants around the Irises. It they rizome rule a rule of thumb or an absolute?

to the iris forum john.

hehe… after you've seen the success of that plot, you'll want to expand the size of your circumference and add many more irises. if you include different classes, i.e. sdb (standard dwarf irises) ib (intermediate), etc., as well as tb (tall bearded). you'll be able to extend your blooming season. [just food for thought]

Daphne,

I know I have white tall bearded, and purple tall bearded as well as some dark blue shorter (I guess intermediate) irises. They did bloom at different times this year. The Purple ones came up first, then the shorter blues, and then the tall white. I guess that's what you're talking about?? I don't know what Irises they are. They were given to me by a 90 year old woman who attended our church. Like I said before, I know nothing about Irises. This is the first year I dug them up and separated them. I hope I get them back in the ground before they die!

John.

I think the trick to planting between irises is to find something that doesn't spread or only spreads slowly. Agapanthus Tinkerbell is a very slow spreader for me and the variegated foliage adds interest in winter. I also have some succulents in my garden which are slow to multiply such as echeveria and flapjacks

If you don't mind the work, try annuals the first year until you see how the irises grow. Your bed seems rather small as you should remember that irises can increase rapidly depending on the variety, if you companion plants grow rapidly they may be forced out. My husband does like liatris which have come up in one of our beds & bloom later in the summer than the iris.

DaisyDo, Thank you for your list of companion plants for Irises. I will look into them next spring.

Irisarian, thank you for the response! I will definitely look into Liatris next spring.

I'm open to any and all other suggestions!

This island is in the center of my back yard and is the focal point of my back garden. The Irises come on right after my Azalea bushes finish blooming. Then (eventually) the pink Queen Elizabeth roses will bloom, along with the blue 'Rhapsody' Clematis in the center. Not sure I want to tackle peonies there. But some of the other upright plants sound great. The grass you mentioned Irisarian looks good too.

Thanks.

Gladioli go well with irises and add interest later in the season. Most spring bulbs will work and I also like to use low ornamental grasses, armerias, Dianthus deltoides, low sedums and others that are relatively well-behaved and not too tall.

Disclaimer: If you plant columbines or other self-seeding plants, remember to remove the seed heads _before_ they spread all over the place. Getting columbines out from between iris rhizomes is

Second disclaimer: If you want roses next to your irises, remember that irises do not like a lot of nitrogen-rich fertiliser - unlike the roses.


Good luck!

Lilli,

Thanks for the suggestion about the Gladioli. I hadn't thought about them. I guess there are quite a few flowering plants I can put in that bed with the Irises to make it look better all season.

I know about the different needs of the Roses and Irises. I've tried putting the Irises in sections, leaving enough room for the roses. I'll treat the roses and hopefully it won't get much into the Irises.

Truth be told, I can't seem to keep my Columbines alive. I plant them and they do great from the nursery. They keep blooming for a month or so and then start to turn brown, leaves fall off, and then seem to die. I've never had one self seed. I wish I could get them to do that.

My pleasure.

I too grow roses and irises in the same bed and both do well. I try to plant my roses in shallow depressions and my irises on little mounts, so the (fertilised) run-off from the roses does not bother the irises and I am also a bit stingy with the rose fertiliser.

Have you tried columbines from seeds? The best would be from someone in your area. Sow them in late summer/early autumn, either in the bed where you want them or in little pots that you leave outside over winter. The chance of survival should be much better than for single plants from the nursery - only you will most likely have a variety of different colours.

IrisLilli,

Never tried Columbines from seed. Actually have never done anything from seed! It is worth a try. I've had Queen Elizabeth roses in that bed before. They all did well, until through my inattention and neglect over several years, I lost everything except the Irises and the Clematis. I'm now trying to rebuild.

John, I'm just a bit north of you, in Maryland. I had to plant several columbines, so several could be blooming at once before I started getting tiny columbine seedlings. And I have to be oh so careful not to root them out when I'm weeding. They'll stay very small the first year, and even then never seem to get very big here even when finally blooming. I like having them, though, and I like the array of colors. They'll never pose a problem as weeds here as far as I can see, and I've been growing them for about 35 years. I just let them stay wherever they decide to germinate. The same is true for the digitalis. they are picky about where they germinate, so I think it's best not to move them.

I have a red hot poker blooming for the first time. I had planted it three years ago, and thought I had lost it. I also have my first blooms of Crocosmia Lucifer from bulbs planted 3 years ago. These are all blooming along with the daylilies, balloon flower, gaillardia, dark purple salvia, lemon thyme, and verbena bonariensis. The deer did eat off some of the daylily buds, but thankfully have left some for me this year.