The Iris is an eye-catching, bold and sassy flower which brightens up any garden during spring.
The Iris is one of the world’s most popular garden flowers and the majority of the species are native to Europe and Asia. There are over 300 species and 50 000 registered varieties, it is part of the Iridaceae family and is divided into two groups - Rhizomes and Bulbous. It is a perennial plant and quite hardy.
This plant was named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow and the elegant bloom has been the symbol of royal families (French, Fleur-de-lis) and used in some of our famous artist's paintings (Van Gogh “Irises”). The most common types are the Bearded, Siberian, Japanese, Louisiana, and the Wild Iris.
The Iris has showy flowers which come in many varieties, colourful patterns and hues. The flower has six petals, 3 sepals drooping downwards (falls), and 3 sepals standing upright (standards). They bloom lavishly during spring. The plant has sword-like leaves and grows about 95cm tall.
The Iris is easy to grow and very adaptable. They thrive in semi-shade to full sun, prefers well-drained acidic soil and must get plenty of water. You can plant them in clumps on the edge of a pond, in wetlands and meadows. They do not like root competition so be careful what you plant around them.
Depending on the species, you can grow them from rhizomes in wet climates or in dry climates from bulbs. When this plant forms large colonies which are thick and leafy they will produce fewer blooms. It is important to divide them after they have bloomed and plant them out either singly or in small clumps a few centimetres apart to get hem ready for the next season.