hi everybody

last year I 'created' my allotment garden from scrap


I planted annuals, some Buddleja's, a lot of Daylilies and some TB's
Most of those were planted in a still empty border, but I planted some in between the daylilies.
At that time the DL's were still young (and small), but now, a year later, they have formed big bushes of leaves..




Will this be a problem for the irises and should I get them out of the Daylily borders?

I've just received 'some more' irises from Cayeux and potted them up for the time being


Mayo

Dampness and shade are enemies to bearded irises. They need some space with sun to the plant and rhizomes if at all possible. I have alternated a front row [of 3] with daylilies and dwarf irises; that row is on the west side of the garden so all clumps will get sun during the day. Half a meter between DLs and all irises would give room for about one year then iris expansion would crowd everything.
Good luck and post pictures of the "adjusted" garden.

I plant my dl and my iris along w other things in a big jumbled up mess and they all do fine

I plant NoIDs that I do not just have to have in a bed that also has DLs. The hearty DLs crowded out the more delicate ones and the older irises thrive there. No newer iris could live there.

grannysgarden said:I plant NoIDs that I do not just have to have in a bed that also has DLs. The hearty DLs crowded out the more delicate ones and the older irises thrive there. No newer iris could live there.

Do you mean by 'older irises' plants older in years or older cultivars?
Are newly created cultivars less vigorous?

When I look at my TB's than áll of them have multiplied from 1 fan to 2, 3 or even 4, even the ones that are crowded by the Daylilies, but perhaps they did that relying on the 'food' stored in the mother rhizome? Or is sunshine on the leaves alone enough to thrive?
(the TB's in between the DL's didn't get sun on their rhizome from April/May forward, but will as soon as the DL's die back and I pull out the annuals)

Lest We Forget is rebloming at the moment, as is English Cottage, both in DL borders


Mayo

Many newer intros of irises are not as hardy as the 'antique' ones introduced many years ago. Maybe that is why many older ones are still around? The new ones that use those older ones in breeding may have inherited some of the hardiness from the parent. Of course each is different.
The sun on the rhizome is not necessary for the entire day; it is mostly to be sure the rhizomes do not sit in wet soil or wet garden residue which will quickly rot many rhizomes. A clean clump will not need as much sun as moisture would be less. Cleaning out the old leaves of both the irises and the daylilies will allow each to live closer to each other with fewer problems.

yes, a historic iris that has survived many seasons and still thrives and blooms is going to make it in my mixed bed. The ones introduced in the last few years that are just gorgeous should be planted somewhere they are not constantly having to share water, nutrients and sunshine.

Mayo62 said:

Are newly created cultivars less vigorous?

No. It is, however, a widely held belief that this is true.

There are several factors that play into determining which cultivars survive for generations. Irises from well known hybridizers are more likely to survive, irises that win awards are more likely to survive, etc. Individual cultivars do vary greatly in terms of vigor, and vigor another very important factor in determining survival.

The difference, at least in terms of vigor, between irises introduced in 2017 and let's say 1947 is that the weak growing cultivars of 1947 have mostly ceased to exist. In other words, it's an illusion that historic cultivars are more vigorous than modern ones because, for the most part, only the most vigorous of the historic cultivars are still around. The same thing will happen with the 2017 irises over time, cultivars that exhibit poor growth are likely to gradually be selected out of gardens and eventually disappear altogether.

Great commentary/explanation on why we sometimes think older cultivars (of any species, not just iris) are more vigorous than the newer ones!

Thanks for that great explanation Kent. It always irritates me a little when someone indicates that Historics are more vigorous than the current iris.

thank you all for the information!!

I'm a rookie with Irises and am sure I will learn a lot from all of you


Mayo