Enjoy your bearded iris, they will produce dramatic, beautiful, blooms with minimal care and outstanding
blooms with just a little more, so be sure to add some bearded iris to your garden.
The best time to plant bearded iris bulbs is late summer through early fall. Recommend planting from mid July until mid October depending on location. Spring planting is discouraged. Spring planting can often result in lack of bloom for a season or two and slow establishment.
For the best growth and bloom, bearded iris bulbs need at least a half to full day of sun. The best is morning sun till about two in the after noon then high shade
.
Bearded iris bulbs need a balanced well drained soil but are very adoptable to a variety of soil types. Raised beds can help with drainage and a must in areas with high rain fall. Iris bulbs like most perennials, prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil. Heavy clay needs to be amended with coarse sand to aid drainage. Soil should be tilled ten to twelve inches with some bone meal added. Bearded iris bulbs can be mulched lightly for winter protection and weed control, as long as the mulch doe's not cover the rhizome. Once winter is over remove the mulch.
The most common mistake made with bearded iris bulbs is planting to deep. Make a three inch deep depression about six inches in diameter. In the center make a small fist sized mound of soil. The rhizome is planted on top of the mound so that one third of the rhizome will be above the soil. Spread the roots out to support the plant replace the soil, firmly pack around the roots to remove air pockets and water liberally. Don't plant in a low area, they will not tolerate standing water. Fourteen to eighteen is a good distance between rhizomes. This allows the new growth to fill the area between plants in about three to four years. For mass or clump style planting, plant rhizomes in a triangular fashion about six inches apart. Planting in this way will require division more often than other methods. In areas of intense summer heat bearded iris can be planted deeper to avoid scalding.
Modern bearded iris bulbs varieties may need more fertilizer than older varieties due to the increased number and size of blossoms. Fertilize in mid to late April with bone meal, super phosphate or a fertilizer low in nitrogen. Fertilizers high in nitrogen tend to cause bacterial rot and lush, but weak foliage growth.
When selecting Fertilizers for bearded iris bulbs, be sure the second and third numbers are higher than the first. These numbers stand for the amounts of phosphorus and potassium in the mixture. Phosphorus and potassium are the key nutrients in root and bloom production. Another dose half the strength of fertilizer after fall dividing and planting will slowly release through out the winter and early spring.
Bearded irises over time will become crowded and blooms suffer. In late summer simply lift the entire clump with a garden fork. Cut apart the new younger babies from older center rhizome and replant as before. The center rhizome although the largest will not bloom a second time so send it to the compost pile.
Bearded iris bulbs do not like competition from weeds, keep your beds neat and clean to allow the sun and air to keep the rhizome dry and happy. Remember iris are very drought tolerant. Water only when necessary, under the most severe droughts.
