by High Country Gardens
The Bearded Iris is, for much of the country, a reminder of Memorial Day, as this is usually the time of peak bloom for this showy group of perennials. I enjoy these beauties for their easy care, their tough constitution and their large, colorful flowers in a huge array of solid and bi-colored combinations.
Bearded Iris are very dependable in the garden when you provide them with:
- plenty of sun
- a well-drained planting site
- well-amended soil (go heavy on the compost and soft rock phosphate as Iris are heavy “feeders”)
![Anything For You Bearded Iris]()
Exclusively Available from High Country Gardens. Wake up your waterwise garden with eye-catching Iris germanica ‘Anything For You’ (Bearded Iris). It features soft lavend...
Learn MoreAnything For You Bearded Iris 'Anything For You' Bearded Iris Iris germanica 'Anything For You'$10.99Per Bare Root PlantExclusively Available from High Country Gardens. Wake up your waterwise garden with eye-catching Iris germanica ‘Anything For You’ (Bearded Iris). It features soft lavender-pink standards above lovely ruffled purple plicata falls. With purple and orange beards, bumble bees are sure to find their way to these flowers. Broad, generous flowers bloom abundantly early in the season, providing lots of visual interest. Lovely as cut flowers too, this easy-care iris will start off the season in style.![Dame de Coeur Bearded Iris, Iris germanica Dame de Coeur]()
‘Dame de Coeur’ Bearded Iris (Iris germanica), or Queen of Hearts, will grace the mid-spring garden, adding cheerful raspberry blossoms highlighted with gold highlights a...
Learn MoreDame de Coeur Bearded Iris Dame de Coeur Bearded Iris Iris germanica Dame de Coeur$10.99 Sale $8.24Sale Price I Save 25%Per Bare Root Plant‘Dame de Coeur’ Bearded Iris (Iris germanica), or Queen of Hearts, will grace the mid-spring garden, adding cheerful raspberry blossoms highlighted with gold highlights and bright orange beards. Its cheery nature welcomes summer and lightens hearts with bright color and sweet fragrance. With smooth, strapping foliage adding interest, Bearded Irises are a drought-tolerant, easy-care garden staple.![Black Lipstick Bearded Iris]()
Take a walk on the dark side with Iris germanica ‘Black Lipstick’ (Bearded Iris). A dramatic, multi-award winner, ‘Black Lipstick’ will flower with the darke...
Learn MoreBlack Lipstick Bearded Iris 'Black Lipstick' Bearded Iris Iris germanica 'Black Lipstick'$10.99Per Bare Root PlantTake a walk on the dark side with Iris germanica ‘Black Lipstick’ (Bearded Iris). A dramatic, multi-award winner, ‘Black Lipstick’ will flower with the darkest of purple standards held by ruffled black falls. Dark blue beards add mystery. Flowering in the early-to-mid-summer garden, it provides a head-turning contrast to the traditional soft colors or spring. Stunning in waterwise gardens, it is low-maintenance, deer resistant, and beautiful in cut flower arrangements too.![Desert Sky Bearded Iris Collection]()
Our exclusive Desert Sky Bearded Iris Collection is a showcase of blooms inspired by Ghost Ranch, the home of famous artist Georgia O’Keeffe. That stunning New Mexico landscape...
Learn MoreDesert Sky Bearded Iris Collection Desert Sky Bearded Iris Collection$49.95Per Collection of 5Our exclusive Desert Sky Bearded Iris Collection is a showcase of blooms inspired by Ghost Ranch, the home of famous artist Georgia O’Keeffe. That stunning New Mexico landscape nurtured her love of nature and inspired famous paintings. This Bearded Iris collection will bring the same southwestern inspiration to your garden, featuring blooms in a painterly palette of violet, apricot and lavender, raspberry and amber, copper, and terracotta. Collection of 5 Bearded Irises
Fall is an excellent time to plant Iris, so you can enjoy their flowers next spring. But don’t feel you need to isolate Iris or plant them apart from the other flowers in your garden as is often done. (Roses often suffer this same fate.) Iris mingles nicely with other perennials, especially because their attractive, sword-shaped leaves provide a nice contrast with the other foliage, much like a thick bladed ornamental grass might do. And the wide range of flower colors allows them to be inter-planted with other perennials to provide a rainbow of complementary flower colors.
The big news about Bearded Iris is that many new varieties are “re-bloomers” flowering in late spring and re-blooming in August (with prompt deadheading of the old flower spikes). This has reinvigorated interest in the Bearded Iris and kept the breeders busy expanding their offerings.
In terms of maintenance, the best time to divide your Iris clumps is in August. When they stop blooming or the flowers are sparse, this is an indication that they are crowded and the soil is low in nutrients and needs to be enriched.
Just dig the plants out of the ground, shake off the soil and cut the rhizomes (fleshy roots) into pieces with a sharp clean garden knife. Be sure to include a fan or two of leaves on each piece of rhizome. If you have some dusting sulfur, dip the cut ends into it and let the rhizomes dry for a day or two in the shade so the cuts callus over.
Before you replant the divisions, dig a 3 to 4 inch thick layer of compost and a few handfuls of natural soft rock phosphate and Yum Yum Mix into the top 8-10” of the soil. Plant so that the shoulders of the rhizomes are just above the surface of the soil. Don’t plant them too deep.
One of my favorite Bearded Iris would have to be Iris pallida ‘Variegata’. The soft purple flowers are wonderfully fragrant and the boldly striped green and white leaves enliven any bed where they are planted giving the plant season-long garden interest.
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