A refined aristocrat was the first thing that came to my mind when I first saw the Siberian iris: a slender stem, exquisite inflorescence and fine engraving of the leaves.
How good he is! It’s impossible not to fall in love with him. And although it does not have such bright and large inflorescences as the bearded iris, it blooms profusely and is able to grow in one place for more than ten years, which means that this is the best candidate for an unpretentious garden.
The leaves of the Siberian iris in landscape design are perhaps even more valuable than the flowers themselves (forgive me collectors of varietal plants!), because flowering lasts a relatively short time, and greenery pleases from late spring until autumn.
It’s even difficult for me to say in which flower garden a high curtain of the thinnest leaves would be out of place.
I planted Siberian iris next to hosta and geyhera — it contrasted perfectly against the background of their lush rosettes.
The experiment paired with the Septembers was also successful — I have never met a more beautiful partner for a lush «starry» cloud.
I tried to plant sage, citrine daylily, ferns, bergenia, lavender — everywhere it came in handy.
If you are thinking about a nature garden landscape, the Siberian iris will fully meet your expectations.
Siberian iris (Iris sibirica)
- Growth area: Northern and Central Europe, Northern Asia
- Flowering period: May-June for 15 days.
- Color spectrum: violet blue.
- Height: 70-110 cm.
- Growing conditions: moisture-intensive fertile soils, mulching, sun for at least 12 hours a day, frost resistance zone 3-9.
- Peculiarities: hardy perennial with a strong tall stem, thin leaves grow from a basal rosette, 1/3 shorter than peduncles, can grow in one place for more than 10 years.
VARIETIES OF SIBERIAN IRIS
As for varietal individuals, many of them occurred due to intraspecific selection, however, most of them are still hybrids. Be that as it may, they are all excellent, and the number of varieties is known, perhaps, only to the American Society of Iris Growers, which, in fact, is engaged in the registration of new varieties.
IMPORTANT: species plants will never let you down, and in varietal plants, wilted inflorescences must be cut off in time to prevent self-seeding and preserve decorative properties.
For this reason, I populate my garden only with «savages»: there is less trouble and the garden looks natural.
So that the Siberian iris does not cause a lot of trouble in the garden, like any other plant, it is necessary to create suitable conditions for development for it.
Loam mixed with compost (preferably) or peat will create comfortable conditions for the development of this plant.
Iris is more «favorable» to the soil with PH = 5.5-6.5.
A sign of alkalization of the soil (with excessive watering): iris leaves become yellowish. Method of struggle: shed with a solution of ferrous sulfate at the rate of 30g per 10l.
The most difficult thing for iris is on sandy soils, which not only do not retain moisture, but also quickly lose useful trace elements. On sandy soils, before planting in the hole, compost mixed with sand is generously added, mulched, again, with compost or peat.
The ideal condition for the development of Siberian iris is moderately moist soil, it is very difficult to tolerate drying out. Therefore, watering for him is an important condition, but it must be basal, and a thick layer of mulch (grass, compost, peat) is the only way to protect the roots from drying out.
Abundant flowering is impossible in a poorly lit area. However, when choosing a space that is too open, it is worth remembering that irises (both flowers and leaves) can burn if they are not covered with partial shade at noon.
In the shade of iris flowering, you will not wait, however, the leaves and root system will continue to actively develop.
The best fertilizer for Siberian iris is compost, which is desirable to add before transplanting the plant to a permanent place. In any soil, except sandy, this will be enough for 5-10 years. In general, iris is considered an unpretentious plant that can grow on poor soils.
For abundant flowering, the following approach to «feeding» is recommended. In the spring, before the start of the growing season, it is permissible to feed the soil with a complete mineral complex, before flowering in the budding stage with organic matter (compost, manure or grass infusion), after flowering with potassium phosphate fertilizers.
Siberian iris quickly fills the space with itself. For this reason, it is planted in a flower garden at a distance of 60-80 cm from each other. If this is a mixborder that is updated every 4 years, then the landing can be thickened up to 30-40 cm.
It is undesirable to plant iris too close to trees, shrubs and aggressor plants with a powerful root system.
Leaves of iris are not pruned from autumn until they are completely dry. This is necessary in order to provide conditions for flowering for the next season.
It is the Siberian iris that is considered the most winter-hardy species, however, it is worth considering that in the northern regions one cannot do without mulching. The best «blanket» for iris will be peat or compost.
IRIS SIBERIAN IN GARDEN DESIGN
If you have a free territory, but there is no time to take care of the territory, you can plant the entire area between the trees with Siberian irises. When they grow, you will definitely no longer need to weed, but until then you still have to get rid of weeds 🙂
Curtains of the leaves of this type of iris serve as a beautiful vertical with a fine drawing and will not go unnoticed, especially against the background of a lawn, conifers, evergreens, plants with large leaves or ground cover.
REPRODUCTION AND TRANSPLANT
Species plants reproduce well by self-sowing, but this is good if you have only such Siberian irises on your site.
The presence in the garden of irises of different varieties, including species, is fraught with pollination and loss of varietal characteristics.
Therefore, it is advisable not to allow self-seeding in the presence of hybrids or at least two varieties. To do this, the flowers are cut off as soon as they wither, and the plants are propagated by dividing the rhizome.
This procedure is simple, it can be done at any time, but still the best period is when the irises fade or in early autumn.
The whole bush can not even be dug up, it is enough to separate a part of the bush with the root with a shovel, sprinkle the cut with ash and dig in.
The roots are cut to 5-7 cm, placed in the prepared hole so that they are straightened, and the root neck is 5 cm below the edges of the hole. Water, sprinkle with earth, mulch, cut the leaves by 2/3 and leave the plant alone until the next season. Such a delenka will not bloom next year, because part of the forces will go to rooting.
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