Bearded
Iris is misunderstood in the coastal gardens of
Southern California. Like many other peculiarities
of local gardening, confusion begins with
well-intended information written for a national
audience.
This confusion is compounded by large national iris
growers that select varieties based upon criteria
other than garden performance. Sadly, growers may
pick economics over garden success.
Let's review some Bearded Iris assumptions. Keep
score if you want. Don't worry, no one is checking
your right answers.
1. Iris bloom primarily in April and May.
2. Iris should be bought and planted, along with
other fall "bulbs," usually October and November.
3. Iris clumps should be dug and divided in fall or
winter.
4. Iris goes dormant in the winter.
5. Iris does best in partial shade.
6. Iris varieties that have won exhibitions and
awards are a good starting point when selecting
varieties for a garden.
As a coastal Southern California gardener, let's
begin the discussion with bloom time. Yes, it is
true that most Bearded Iris on the market are spring
bloomers — about April and May.
This is unfortunate. Why plant an iris that blooms
only in spring if you could select a nearly
identical variety that also bloomed in summer, fall
and even winter?
In Southern California, there is no reason to select
these "once-blooming" varieties. Unfortunately,
once-blooming varieties dominate our market.
Very few of the Bearded Iris available are of
repeat-blooming varieties. Even when the label says
"repeat-blooming," it is often incorrect. An iris
may be a repeat-bloomer only a few miles away in
Anaheim, but will not re-bloom in Newport Beach, and
vice-versa.
Commercial growers could not possibly achieve
labeling this detailed. To make an intelligent
decision, you'll need to search for local
information from a knowledgeable source.
Frequent Flyer is likely the best repeat-blooming
Bearded Iris bred for our coastal gardens. A tall,
stately, glistening, ruffled white with a dash of
yellow at the center. Frequent Flyer usually gives
me three to four bloom cycles per year.
I know one coastal gardener who swears by five
cycles a year. Other iris that reliably re-bloom in
our area include Mary Frances, Feedback, Summer
Olympics, Victoria Falls, Grandma's Purple Flag and
Frequent Violet.
In mild climates, like ours, Bearded Iris never goes
dormant. They keep their foliage year-round, and
with the right re-blooming selection, may have
flowers nearly any time of the year.
Nonetheless, the best time to plant or divide
Bearded Iris is right now, during the hottest days
of summer. Look away if you read about digging,
dividing or planting Bearded Iris in the fall or
winter months; this doesn't apply in coastal Orange
County.
Since Bearded Irises never go dormant in our area,
they remain attractive all year. Use them in a
garden as you would evergreen perennials, like
daylily or agapanthus.
Think of Bearded Iris more like you would penstemon,
lavender, salvia or small phormium, rather than as
"bulbs" like you would daffodils, ranunculus and
tulips.
Clumps of Bearded Iris should be divided every three
or four years. In Orange County, August is the
perfect time to perform this simple chore.
Dividing plants often frightens novice gardeners,
but it is a simple process. Begin by pushing a
shovel into the soil a few inches beyond the edge of
the clump. Pull back the handle a bit to loosen the
soil. Continue until the entire clump is encircled,
then push the shovel all the way under the clump and
force the shallow rhizomes upward. It's OK if the
clump begins breaking apart. That's what you want.
Now remove all of the rhizomes from the soil,
knocking off the soil as you go. With your hands,
break the living rhizomes away from the old rhizomes
behind them. Live rhizomes will have a growth tip
with leaves on one end. Throw away the old, leafless
rhizomes.
Now you will have a pile of fresh young rhizomes
ready to replant. To prepare them for replanting,
cut the foliage on each rhizome straight across at
about six or eight inches.
Now replant the biggest five or seven rhizomes back
into their original location. The rest can be
planted in similar clumps elsewhere in your garden
or given to friends.
In Orange County, especially in coastal locations,
Bearded Iris take full sun. Contrary to some
references, if you want flowers and healthy plants,
keep them out of the shade.
Awards, medals and other honors are prolific in the
iris community. The American Iris Society and other
groups bestow many upon their favorite varieties.
The Dykes Medal, the Cook-Douglas Medal, the John C.
Wister Medal and the Hans and Jacob Sass Medal are
all "show" honors. However, these awards offer
little indication of how an iris will perform in
your garden.
Don't be misled with bad information or false
assumptions. Select Bearded Iris that re-bloom in
our area, plant them in a sunny location, and divide
the clump every three or four years. As a successful
coastal gardener, perhaps you are becoming
accustomed to breaking a few gardening rules. If
not, Bearded Iris is a good place to begin.
RON VANDERHOFF is the nursery
manager at Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar.
ASK RON
How did you get in my garden? Your description of my
tomatoes' brown leaves, burned-out look, ugly, etc.,
described my plants exactly. But like you said, I
have two or three more tomatoes that I think I can
nurse along. I know I should give up and get my fall
plants started now, but I just can't bring myself to
pull these old plants up and start over. Can you
help me?
Chris
Costa Mesa
Sure, Chris, I can help. What's your address? I'll
stop by and pull them up myself. Then I'll plant a
couple of fall varieties, but I get half the crop.
Deal?
