In The Garden

by Barry Peters

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The Iris is the principal genus of one of the largest and most important plant families in the garden - the Iridaceae.

In ancient mythology, Iris, symbolizing the rainbow was often referred to as the "goddess of the rainbow." Actually, she was the personal attendant of Juno, wife of the great Zeus. The shimmering colours of the blossoms are characterized as being iridescent.

One division of Iris types are known as bearded Iris because of a strip of hairy growth on the parts of the blossom that are called the "falls." Supposedly, the hairiness is a signal to insects seeking nectar. Iris, which are not self fertile, must depend on insects for pollenization. These plants are an excellent subject for hybridization resulting in continuous development of new varieties.

As well as the bearded type, which prefer a well drained soil and a resting period after blooming, there are the beardless types which tend to prefer heavy soils and moist, even swampy conditions.

The actual Iris flower has been used since very early times for heraldry and ornamental designs. It consists of three upright divisions known as standards, three lower divisions known as falls and between them three strap-shaped dividions known as style branches.

The fleur de-lis of France and Quebec is, of course, a stylized representation of the iris.

The bearded iris grows from a fleshy root known as a rhizome which grows horizontally near the surface of the soil. Many of the beardless types also grow from a rhizome. The Siberian Iris is typical of the beardless rhizomatous type. The foliage is taller and more slender and the somewhat smaller flowers are produced in great profusion.

The Japanese Iris are considered the most magnificent of all. Blooms can be up to a foot across and the colour variations and combinations are enormous. They require abundant moisture during the spring growing season followed by drier conditions during the resting period. Our typically acid soils are to their liking. Unfortunately they usually only survive two or three years .

Vesper Iris are dainty, tall and slender opening late in the afternoon and lasting only one day. The blossoms are typically lavender coloured and new plants are easily started from seed.

The above bearded, beardless, Japanese and Vesper Iris are all of the rhizomatous type.

There is another complete group of Irises that are grown from true bulbs. These types tend to grow very vigorously and rapidly form dense clumps. Spanish, Dutch and English Iris are the bulbous type. The foliage is tall and individual leaves are slender and tend to bend toward the ground. The flowers are borne on stiff stalks. Some of the dwarf early spring varieties like reticulata belong to this group. Alpinists appreciate the miniature crested iris which possess a notched ridge instead of a beard.

Rhizomatous types are susceptible to soft rot disease which is very destructive. Remove affected rhizomes and spray unaffected plants with a dilute lime sulphur solution. Avoid using a fertilizer high in nitrogen,

Iris borer is a large grub which chews out the rhizome from the inside, producing severe damage, which provides opportunity for the entry of fungus and bacteria diseases. The young borer begins by chewing the edges of the leaves and can be easily detected and picked off or squashed at that stage. Control once it enters the rhizome is difficult.