Iris bearded, planting and care. The best varieties of irises for landscape design

Bearded iris can be seen on almost any personal plot- in a flower bed or in a flower garden. Bearded iris, planting and caring for which does not cause much trouble and does not require special skills and craftsmanship, is a rather unpretentious perennial with luxurious inflorescences original form and the most varied colors. Every season, breeders delight flower growers with more and more new hybrids, and today in flower shops you can purchase planting material of bearded irises in both traditional shades and the most unexpected and unusual.

Bearded iris: what is it and how to distinguish it from other varieties of irises?

The iris family is quite extensive: it has more than 300 members, but the bearded iris, planting and caring for which is discussed in this article, is perhaps the most common type. Its inflorescences are quite large and complex shape: 6 petals are arranged in two tiers (three petals that securely protect the pistil and stamens form something like a tent, and the bottom three are smoothly lowered down). Distinctive feature bearded irises - the presence of a kind of "beard" on the lower petals: paths of numerous delicate villi, often having a contrasting color with respect to the color of the petals.

Iris leaves are dense, elongated, with distinct longitudinal veins and a pointed end. The rhizome consists of links that grow every year, is located on the surface of the soil or slightly buried in the ground, grows rapidly, forming dense thickets.

Growing bearded irises: how to choose the right place on the site and plant plants?

The optimal place for planting bearded irises is the south side of the site, protected from wind and drafts that can break fragile flowers, and also slightly shaded from bright sunlight. The soil of the bearded iris, planting and caring for which is planned on your site, prefers loose, weed-free, perhaps even rocky. Should not be abused organic fertilizers, since overfed iris will only increase excess green mass to the detriment of flowering.

When planting young plants in the ground, it is important to ensure that the thickest links of the rhizome do not go deep into the soil, because then the plant will need a lot of strength to push the shoots to the surface of the earth. So, we dig a hole, pour a mound of earth into it, on which we place the rhizome. On the slopes of the mound we have smaller roots and sprinkle with earth. Some experienced growers even recommended in warm time year to open the rhizomes, freeing them from the cover of the soil so that they can soak up the sun.

Bearded irises: organize proper watering

In a moderately rainy summer, irises practically do not need additional watering. If the summer is dry, it is enough to water your beloved bearded irises 1-2 times a week. Planting and caring for them are simple, only in some cases more intensive moisture is required:

For better rooting of young plants in the first few weeks;

During the introduction of root dressings for their better absorption;

During the period of budding and flowering, if natural moisture is not enough.

The best watering bearded irises carefully, with a small pressure of water, so as not to wash away the rhizomes. Watering in the morning should be avoided, as drops of water that have fallen on the leaves and inflorescences during evaporation can leave burns and spoil decorative look irises.

In a word, the bearded iris, planting and caring for which you are already doing in your garden or just planning, is a great choice for decorating a flower garden, luxury decoration for the whole season!

winter hardiness different varieties bearded irises is different, so it is more reliable to grow varieties that winter well in this region. Bearded irises are propagated vegetatively by dividing the rhizomes of 3-5 year old plants. Bearded irises are planted in the summer - from mid-August, and at the very beginning of autumn, so that the plants have time to take root before the cold weather, but if necessary, you can plant irises in the spring. The August-September division of iris rhizomes gives a large percentage of plants that bloom in the first year after planting. Transplanting irises in your garden "from ground to ground" can be started 2 weeks after the end of flowering and carried out at a convenient time.

In one place, without prejudice to the decorative effect, bearded irises are usually grown for no more than 5 years, then the bushes are dug up with a pitchfork and cut into planting divisions. A delenka is a part of a healthy rhizome with roots, usually an annual link with a blade of leaves, but a small piece of rhizome with dormant buds can also be used to propagate valuable varieties. A piece of iris rhizome weighing only half a gram with one dormant bud is capable, under favorable conditions, of giving life to a new plant that will bloom in the second year of vegetation! The rhizomes of irises without roots and leaves remaining after cutting the divisions are cut off, removing the damaged parts, powder the cuts with crushed charcoal, dry them and plant them on a separate bed for growing next season.

The rhizomes of the delenok are disinfected for 1-2 hours in a beet-colored potassium permanganate solution, dried and heated in the sun for 3-5 hours. The leaves and roots of the division, if their length is more than 10 cm, are shortened. Bearded irises prefer well-drained light soil without stagnant moisture in the sun, but they also tolerate a little shading (some flower growers successfully grow them under apple trees with a sparse crown). Too much acidic soil sprinkled before planting irises wood ash. If there is a danger of stagnation of melt water in the spring, before planting for irises, a flower bed is slightly raised above ground level. The distance between plants when planting irises depends on the purpose of planting and the height of the irises: undersized irises are usually planted after 15 cm, medium-sized - after 20 cm, tall - after 40 cm. In free landscape compositions, irises are planted in groups of several pieces, placing divisions around the circumference; the distance between groups is not less than 1 m.

Some flower growers grow a collection of irises on a raised bed according to a 30x50 cm scheme, turning the leaves of irises when planting in one direction and directing the plane of the leaves across the ridges. Before planting irises, the soil should be dug up on a shovel bayonet, a bucket of compost or well-rotted manure per 1 sq.m. (fresh manure is not used to avoid rotting of rhizomes), make planting holes, but fill the bottom of which with a mound of earth. The rhizome of the delenka is laid on a mound so that after planting it protrudes half above the soil level, the roots are straightened on the sides of the mound and the hole is covered with earth, carefully compacting it with hands. Deepening the rhizome into the soil can lead to the death of the iris.

The rhizome of the iris can be fixed from falling and for quick rooting with wire arches or wooden spears. After planting irises, the earth is abundantly watered with water, after it dries up, repeated watering is desirable after a few days. Further care after planting irises, it consists in manual weeding (so as not to damage the roots of irises located near the surface of the soil), shallow loosening of the soil. New plantings of irises need shelter in late autumn from freezing: hilling with earth or falling asleep with a leaf, straw, needles, tops with a layer up to 10 cm; shelter removed in early spring.

Planting bearded irises

The technique of planting bearded irises has its own characteristics.
Dig a hole according to the size of the roots, pour soil into its center,
place the rhizome on the formed mound, straighten the roots
and cover with earth. The upper part of the rhizome should remain on
soil surface exposed to sunlight. Watering is usually not needed.
If the iris is divided and planted in the previous year, you need to
remove the flower arrow so as not to deplete the plant.
For those who are unable to contain their curiosity and want to admire
flowers of a new variety, we recommend cutting off the peduncle when blooming
first bud. The rest will bloom already in a vase of water.

Bearded Iris Care

Bearded irises require regular weeding - weeds are oppressive
plants and create conditions favorable for the development of diseases.
Loosen the soil - bearded irises do not like excessive moisture.
For flowering, irises need mineral fertilizers.
For central Russia, three top dressings are recommended:
at the beginning of May (when the buds start growing), at the beginning of June
(this top dressing is needed for the development of the peduncle) and after 2-3 weeks
after flowering (the period of formation of flower buds next year).
Suitable complex mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium. In mid-May, June and August, the soil surface
it is useful to sprinkle with wood ash at the rate of Matchbox on the
plant. Top dressing with wood ash supplies plants with potassium,
reduces the risk of diseases and lowers the acidity of the soil.

Preparing irises for winter

Varieties of domestic selection do not need shelter. Southern varieties
origin need winter shelter- in severe winters flower
the kidneys freeze out, although the vegetative ones remain alive. As a result, bushes
irises grow, but do not bloom. Before the cold weather sets in
sprinkle the rhizomes with soil or peat to a height of 10 cm. For reliability
cover landing spruce branches. Do not cover irises with leaves or
manure - plants can die from decay.
For full rooting, bearded irises need 60 days.
With late autumn planting plants will need winter shelter,
protecting them from bulging. A week before a permanent cold snap
sprinkle the delenki with a 10-centimeter layer of soil. If the irises are planted
in spring or late July - early August, they are not threatened with bulging.
You don't need to cut the leaves.

Iris care in spring

At the end of April, shelter from irises can be removed. Need to do it
be careful not to break the buds that have started to grow.
While there is a danger of frost, leave a layer above the rhizome
soil 1-2 cm thick, but in mid-May, the backs of rhizomes
should be on the surface of the soil. If the rhizomes
yet frozen, they turn into a white slurry.
It is necessary to clean the roots of softened areas
to hard tissue. For this, it is convenient to use the usual
spoon. Cover a healthy cut with brilliant green, let dry
and powder with crushed charcoal or ash.

Reproduction and transplantation of irises

Irises are propagated by dividing the bush, pieces of rhizomes,
cuttings, baby bulbs and seeds.
Sowing is best done in autumn with freshly harvested seeds.
on ridges of open ground. Stratified in greenhouses
seeds are sown in winter. Heavily overgrown bushes need
divide. V middle lane Russian irises are transplanted into
early May and late July - early August.
For accelerated reproduction, cut the excavated rhizome
into small (2-3 cm) parts, laying them in the grooves so that
so that the bleached side is down, and the dark side is up.
Places of incisions are sprinkled with crushed coal or wood ash.
Less commonly, bearded irises are propagated with eyes that are cut out
from the rhizome summer cuttings, leaf with a piece of rhizome.
During the summer transplantation, the leaves of the irises are shortened.

Diseases of bearded irises

The most common disease is bacteriosis. rhizomes
become soft, brown and rot.
The reason is the deep planting of the rhizome. Dig out the startled
bush, cut out all diseased tissues, disinfect
in a strong solution of potassium permanganate and put the rhizome for several hours
in the sun, turning it over regularly. The causative agent of bacteriosis dies,
when exposed to direct sunlight. plant a rhizome
right, so that his back "sunbathed" in the sun.

In the second half of summer (dew season), irises are attacked
rust and other pathogens of leaf spots.
At the first sign of infection, treat the leaves with foundationazole
or copper-containing preparations. At the beginning of the growing season
leaf-eating beetles may appear on irises, according to the behavior
very reminiscent cruciferous fleas. deal with them
drugs that are effective against the Colorado potato beetle will help.

Irises in a landscaped garden

Irises are planted in groups, because stronger perennials
able to suppress them. Grow well and bloom without transplanting
in one place up to five or six years. It is not recommended to plant
bearded irises in mixed landings- an additional
moisture in the root zone, which can cause them to rot
and plant death.

Dwarf irises are great for decorating rockeries -
rocky garden, among sedums, saxifrages, subulate phloxes,
crowded bluebell, low cereals, among undersized
creeping shrubs.

Medium-sized irises surrounded
geraniums, initial letters create harmonious composition. Time from
time, clean the plantings of irises from dry and dead parts
corms, plant overgrown fans - keep
planting irises in order.

Irises for cutting

Irises - valuable cut plants - at the time of their flowering others
flowers in open ground very little; cut bouquet of irises
remains in water for up to two weeks. Flowers should be cut in buds.
Early-flowering species and varieties are used for distillation, and from
of them, those that reproduce by bulbs are most suitable.

Irises are distinguished by excellent vitality, get along well with many plants, multiply quickly and delight us with bizarre flowering in mid-May.

But even such unpretentious flowers as irises have their own characteristics in growing.

Features of care and planting irises

Abundant flowering of irises largely depends on the location. Plants grow well in sunny open places, in partial shade and even in shady areas of the garden, but you will not wait for flowering in the shade, so in order to please yourself with the beauty of flowering irises, you need to provide the plants with good lighting.

Another rule to remember when planting irises is that the flowers do not tolerate wetlands. The earth should dry out well. High humidity leads to rotting of the roots and buds of iris.

Therefore, choose well-drained places, hills, open space. At high humidity there is a risk of developing bacterial or fungal rot and the appearance of pests such as iris flower girl and slugs.

The Iris Flower Girl does a lot of damage to bearded iris blooms. During the summer (the beginning of the flowering of the chestnut), the female lays eggs in the buds, from which the larvae ripen in a couple of weeks. They feed on juice, hence the buds become soft, watery and do not give a full-fledged flower.

On closer inspection, you can see small punctures in the petals.

And when pressed with fingers, liquid flows out of the bud.

All damaged buds must be plucked and destroyed. During the period of the appearance of arrows for prevention, I dust with ash, tobacco dust, pepper, mustard or lime, spray with soapy water with the addition of alcohol or ammonia, make infusions from celandine, tansy, burdock, aloe, wormwood. All bitter herbs will do. The main thing is to actively carry out all kinds of activities during budding to scare the pest away from the plant. In the literature, various systemic insecticides are recommended for the cultivation of irises and their protection: aktar, confidor, mosplan, but on my site I do not use pesticides, I prefer only natural remedies. The same measures repel cutworms, aphids and slugs that feed on the leaves and flowers of the plant.

It is also enough to plant irises in a sunny place to get rid of slugs and rot, since good drying of the soil is a prevention from these troubles.

Irises are fairly drought tolerant. However, they need moderate watering, especially during the flowering period.

Soils prefer light, structural, sandy and loamy, although sometimes they put up with any. They respond well to the introduction of mature compost in early spring and autumn. nitrogen fertilizers should be applied in small doses, since bearded irises do not have a highly developed leaf apparatus, but acidification of the soil from an excess of nitrogenous substances can also adversely affect the development of plants. It does not hurt to make a one-time complex mineral fertilizer during flowering, for example, flower kemira.

Growing irises

Irises are propagated by dividing the root or by sowing seeds. On pollinated flowers, seed pods appear, which can be plucked by the end of August and planted before winter.

It is better to collect the seeds of bearded irises when they are slightly unripe (the shell of the box becomes soft, light green in color), then the percentage of germination increases. Seedlings will bloom only in the 3rd year. Propagation by seeds makes sense only when breeding work, since irises grown from seeds of natural pollination do not always have the same characteristics as the mother plant.

It is easier to propagate by division, which should be done two weeks after flowering and until September.

The overgrown rhizome of the iris can be divided without digging.

It is enough to separate a part of the root with shoots with a shovel and transplant it to the right place. This is, so to speak, a crude method of propagating a plant, requiring no certain knowledge and skills.

Also, division can be done by digging out the entire rhizome from the ground. I prefer to dig, because, first of all, it makes it possible to introduce compost into the soil in this place. A plant dug out and cleared from the ground allows you to examine it in more detail, remove damaged areas, divide the rhizome into smaller processes, which increases the amount of planting material. big root we divide the bearded iris according to the “cut at the neck” principle, that is, it has round large sections of the “head”, which are interconnected by thin short jumpers “necks”. So you need to cut exactly on these thin sections.

It happens that two or three sprouts grow at once on one head.

They can be left, then the iris will grow in a bush.

If root system developed, then these processes can be divided by chopping off a piece of rhizome with roots for each division.

If long roots are not enough, then you should not divide your head. When dividing a bearded iris bush, shorten the leaves to avoid extra loss moisture during plant growth.

Planted at a distance of at least 10 cm, forming small mounds for the roots in several rows.

Iris plantings are arranged differently. Can be planted in wide or narrow strips as an outer frame of a flower bed. An interesting solution will make a figure of irises or plant in separate sections in the form of color spots.

Bearded irises are ideal for crossborders and mixborders.

It is also possible to plant irises with a continuous flower carpet as a decoration near the trunks of trees or ornamental bushes. Diversify the planting of irises interspersed with bulbs, such as tulips, which bloom almost at the same time with early-flowering varieties. Irises look spectacular against the backdrop of blooming peonies.

Often plants are combined with daylilies and lilies, which immediately come into bloom after the irises have faded. The agrotechnics of these plants is the same, so they get along well with each other.

Growing bearded irises will give you a lot of pleasure with its simplicity and excellent results. Breeders have bred a wide variety of varieties that will become a worthy decoration of your garden.

The rhizome of this flower is called "violet root", and its aroma really resembles the faint smell of violets. In this article, we will talk about existing types and varieties of irises. You will learn how to properly plant a crop and how to care for it so that its cultivation in the open field is successful.

Iris ( Russian name flower - killer whale) - a rhizomatous perennial with xiphoid leaves with a wax coating and thin, fibrous roots.

Irises can be found on many summer cottages. However, not all flower growers know how many varieties of these flowers are bred by breeders.

Multi-colored iris flowers (petal color - from white to dark purple), outwardly similar to orchids, have a pleasant faint aroma. Some varieties garden irises have a "beard" on the lower petals. The flowering of irises begins in May and lasts until June: each individual flower retains its decorative effect for about a week. The seeds of the plant ripen in autumn, in trihedral boxes that contain from 25 to 45 seeds.

Modern types and varieties of irises are so diverse, beautiful and fragrant that it is difficult to make a choice when growing in open ground in favor of any one variety.

Varieties and varieties of iris

There are main varieties of irises that are grown in summer cottages, in the open field in parks and squares, and are used to arrange compositions in landscape design.

bearded iris

bearded iris(I. barbata) - this species is divided in turn into three subspecies, depending on the height of the plant:

undersized - plant height does not exceed 40 cm;
medium-sized - plants reach a height of up to 70 cm;
tall - above 70 cm.

The species got its name for the decorative "beard" that adorns the lower petals of the flower along the middle part. The color of bearded iris flowers varies from pale blue to dark purple. Breeders have bred a huge number of new varieties of bearded iris, including two-color ones with bordered petals. These varieties are very decorative, compact, with large flowers and an exciting aroma.

Russian iris

Russian iris(I. ruthenia Ker-Gawler) - forms low dense "pillows" - clumps. Varieties of Russian iris bloom with medium-sized flowers of pale colors. It tolerates short-term drying of the soil. In landscape design, it is used to decorate rocky hills and rock gardens, where rare watering is required.

Siberian iris

Siberian iris, which is actually called iris, is a tall plant, reaches 1 m. The flowers are saturated, purple with shades of blue. Siberian iris and its hybrids bred by breeders are distinguished into a separate subspecies of irises: limniris. In plants of this subgroup, there is no “beard” on the limb of the petals.

Iris marsh

Iris marsh, or yellow, grows in nature along the shores of lakes, rivers, along the slopes of wet ravines. It can develop and bloom well on saline soils, at high outdoor temperatures. These varieties of iris are successfully used in landscape design for decoration. artificial reservoirs: outdoor pools, ponds, waterfalls, iris tolerates excessive watering, looks great when planted decoratively.

Iris smooth

Iris smooth(I. laevigata Fisch) - cultivation at high humidity air; abundant watering is required. Planted near water bodies.

Germanic iris

Germanic iris- with sword-like leaves and flowers on tall, strong peduncles, up to 90 cm long. The plant is suitable for decorating bouquets, grown for cutting.

Iris dwarf

Iris dwarf- a low plant, in total reaches a size of 10 cm. Forms dense curtains when grown in open ground. Small flowers have a variety of colors.

Iris Kaempfer

Iris Kaempfer(another name is xiphoid iris) refers to late varieties species irises. Leaves 30-40 cm high frame the flat flowers of the xiphoid iris. Peduncles reach 60-70 cm.

Japanese iris

Japanese iris- an extensive type of irises, which is divided into subgroups depending on the size of the flower. The cultivation of these varieties is most preferable due to the high decorativeness of the flowers. Japanese irises often form double flowers in different dates(early, middle, late, very late). The flowers of the Japanese iris are painted in all shades of rich purple. Flowers of this subgroup do not tolerate wintering well.

Planting a plant

Irises - planting and caring for plants of all botanical species in the open field is approximately the same.

Foreign breeders have bred varieties of tuberous irises, the cultivation of which is not difficult. These flowers have a small height and narrow, graceful petals of bright, saturated colors. planting material enters the sale in the fall, planting is done before winter.

To plant the bulbs, a trench is dug, the excavated soil is mixed with:

sand;
double superforsate;
crushed coal;
fresh garden soil.

Leave enough space between plants when planting

In the prepared grooves, the bottom of which is sprinkled with sand (you can spill it with a pink solution of potassium permanganate, epin or heteroauxin), the bulbs of irises are laid out with a sprout up.

Important! Bulbs should not be buried deep into the ground. Rule: it is customary to plant small-bulbous plants at a depth of 3 bulb heights.

Planting small-bulb irises does not require watering, the moisture that was used to irrigate the planting furrow is sufficient. The soil on top needs to be lightly tamped so that the birds cannot pull out the bulbs before they take root. Flowering of small-bulb irises will begin next spring.

Growing. bearded irises

Planting bearded irises requires compliance with certain rules:

Do not forget that bearded irises need to be fed very carefully.

It is impossible to bring fresh manure, compost or nitrogen fertilizers into the garden when planting.
In acidic soil, chalk or lime should be added first. The acidity of the soil should be reduced.
It is not allowed to plant rhizomes of irises in dense, caked soil. Preliminary digging of the soil on a spade bayonet and the introduction of sand will make the soil more acceptable for growing your irises in the open field.
The rhizomes of bearded irises are not buried in the soil: the buds should be at the level of the top layer of soil.

Proper care

Iris in landscape design

Very often, iris is used when planting in parks, squares, when decorating territories in landscape design. A huge variety of varieties and species, as well as the high resistance of the plant itself, allow the wider use of this crop for landscaping. Curtains of irises of different varieties look great on a lawn carpet.

"Fields" of irises of different colors look very beautiful

Mono-plantings of iris culture decorate urban areas and do not require serious care. This culture has the advantage - perennial plantings in one place and maintaining a decorative look.