Introduction to the Iris
Iris is a name taken from Latin for the rainbow. Exuding a faint perfume in the air at dawn or after a rain, the beautiful Iris makes its presence known in a garden. Exalted as the fleur-de-lis on the standard of the French royal house of Louis VII and as the icon of Japanese water gardens, it is a perennial that celebrates the months of spring and summer with its bright display of blossoms.

Genus and Natural History of the Iris
The genus Iris belongs to the family Iridaceae. It comprises 300 species and is a native of regions north of the equator. It grows wild in the continents of North Africa, Asia, Europe and North America and in environments like wetlands, deserts and grasslands. It is suitable for developing hybrids.

Iris is auto tropic and the plant stores its food in rhizomes, corms and bulbs. It is propagated vegetatively and through seeds. Iris flowers are brightly colored to attract insects for cross-pollination. The plant adapts certain features to ensure this. Sometimes the shape of the flower looks similar to an insect. Or in the case of I.versicolor, the blue flag beetle punctures it and the flower's nectar is released. Then other insects are drawn to the flower and cross -pollination takes place. Members of the Iris family are prone to fungal diseases, leaf spotting and leaf rusting. The Iris borer also spreads rotting of the rhizome.

Flower Description and Popular types of Irises
The Iris plant has thick and straight stems that could be hollow, solid, single or branched. Each stem has several flowers of vivid hues like white, yellow, blue or red. An Iris flower has six petals and grows on a pedicel. The inner, erect petals are called standards and the outer ones, the sepals, broaden out from narrow bases. Sepals are attractively lined or dotted. The ones that droop downwards are called falls. The leaves are sword-like and spiked and are clustered at the base of the plant. Irises normally grow as thick clumps.

Popular Types Of Irises
The Kaempferi is a favorite for a Japanese water garden. Its blossoms are of many colors and are striped or frilly. The German Iris very popular bearded irises; they sport furry stripes on their falls. They range from dwarf to tall sizes and are good for borders, and a rockery.
The North American native variety is the blue flag or the I. versicoler. The English and Spanish Irises are a treat. They bloom for a long time and their colors are gorgeous. The Louisiana Iris too is prized for its flowers. They love very moist conditions and hate to be disturbed. The Iris florentina produces the orrisroot that exudes the scent of the violet. The Illyrian Iris of the ancient world is the I. Germanica, which is blue in color and a popular garden variety. Florists love the Persian Iris and the bearded I. pallida as they are fragrant. The only winter flowering kind is the I. unguicularis (stylosa). This produces blue flowers with yellow on them and their season is November to March.

Tips on Planting the Iris

Climate for Growing the Iris
Irises can be grown in tropical and temperate climates.

Soil Requirements for Growing Irises
Soil needs to be enriched with a good compost or peat moss. It has to be mixed well with the soil. An ideal soil mixture would be 20 to 30% loam 50% sand and the rest compost. It must be free of weeds and grasses. The Japanese Iris needs a very moist soil. The English and Spanish types like light, open soil. Many hybrids can grow on very arid soils too.

Fertilizing the Iris
A slow release fertilizer that has a low nitrogen level is recommended. A water soluble fertilizer can be used once a fortnight during the growing season.

Sun
All Iris species like sunny locations.

Planting Irises
Dig a hole 6'' deep and wide enough to plant the rhizome. It should be placed a little below the surface level with its tip pointed up. Once this is done, cover it with an inch of soil and water well. Do not plant rhizomes too deep, for they will never bloom. Newly divided Irises should be planted with their leaf fans facing the same direction. During the growing period, keep plants moist, the soil well drained and a regular application of a fertilizer is necessary.

After flowering care for your Irises
When the Iris flowers wilt and the leaves wither, lift the bulbs or rhizomes carefully and leave them for drying a day or two. Then store them in a cool dry place. For healthy plants, it is desirable to divide the clumps every 3rd or 4 th year. Remove all weeds and grasses from the clumps and then replant them. A little care and concern for the plant after flowering will be rewarded with easy growing and easy to care plants the next year. If you need to know anything else about irises please let us know.

If you like the Iris...These pages might also interest you:

Allium Directory, Amaryllis Directory, Begonia Directory, Crocus Directory, Daffodils Directory, Dahlia Directory, Hyacinth Directory, Iris Directory, Lily Directory, Tulip Directory