I have several largish areas that I am in the process of renovating. I will be including iris in these areas. I do not want to monocrop because bearded iris foliage is a bit unsightly to my eyes after the bloom season is over. I also try to have at least three seasons represented in my beds. Landscaping ideas, pictures of your solutions anyone?

Peonies and roses look good and grow well with iris. Here in California the roses will last into
summer. I don't know about Tennessee.

I think you should ask Neal and Sue as they have extensive gardens that are not all iris.

There is an iris companion plants thread on here somewhere - if you look closely you might find more than one.

Other than roses and peonies, I grow lots of spring blooming bulbs, alliums, pincushion flowers, sun-loving heucheras, columbines, mountain phlox (Phlox subulata), small Japanese maples, sempervivum, blue fescue and much, much more. Small blue conifers also go particularly well with the fans on the irises. As long as you do not shade out the irises, the list is almost endless.

There are some nice examples of companion planting in the "What type of property do you have to plant Iris" and "Landscape Pics" threads. There are probably more threads like these if you look further back too.

I've previously posted these images, but maybe they will be useful? I have Daylilies, Greek Oregano, Coreopsis, Lemon Thyme, Trailing Lavender Lantana, Asclepias tuberosa, Roses, Sedum, Peonies, Orange Balsam Thyme, Dianthus, Clematis, Baptisia, Echinaceas, Golden Oregano, dwarf Cannas, Salvia greggi...and some more stuff I can't remember mixed in and around the Iris. The only thing I avoid is putting in water hogs--at all, really--but none near the Iris.

My front yard in March of 2016.


Looking from the house to the street in April of this year.

Closer look at a section, photograph taken this morning. Polvere Di Stelle was a big clump, but I stripped it down a couple of weeks back for my local community garden plant sale.

Beautiful garden and I love the way you have it mapped, Debra.

Thank you, Barbara.

do you have a program debra, where you can write on top of an existing photo?

Daphne, I use Picasa to edit all my photographs and use the Text feature available within that software if I want to write on the image.

thank you debra, have a mac, and i'll have to see if i can manipulate a program to do the same. i think it's a great way to map out the garden.

Here in California, and suffering from a drought the past several years, I've avoided water-loving plants, and tried to find things that bloom along with the Iris.. Bloom times vary in different area.. I've found Lupin blooms in June here, whereas it blooms with the Iris at Schreiner's in Oregon.

I use Nepeta, foxglove, Columbine, roses of course, Spanish Lavender, succulents, Heuchera,Dianthus,Achillea, Blue Fescue, Alstroemeria, Cerinthe, Sisyrinchium.. I have a plicata that looks fabulous with a dwarf pine.. An iris with brownish standards looks great with a dwarf red berberis.. The foliage of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is a good contrast.

Tom also has some beautiful pictures of his garden using a lot of different flowers and colored foliage..