Sometimes because of space or garden aspect, one longs to grow everything!
With the many varieties of tall Bearded Iris flooding the market place here within Australia, and probably thus in your place of reading; we are all tempted to find room for just one more flower to bloom.
Yet the decision to plant tall bearded iris is often thwarted by the thought of tall unruly foliage after the flowers fade.
The good news is you need not sacrifice valuable garden bed space to worship the image of multi hued iris plants. Over the last decade a lot of breeding and colour trials have produced a massive range of hued and textures within the once somewhat dull range of the Dwarf Bearded Iris .
The Dwarf bearded iris now have a tremendous colour range and are most floriferous; making them an ideal addition to the sunny pocket of your garden. Placed at the front of borders or in troughs or pots; is another way of capitalising on their Spring display.
Dwarfs are fairly easy to grow if one remembers their basic requirements. From a single rhizome, one can see it growing fairly rapidly; multiplying into a clump within the first growing season.
Generally, it is safest to advise growing your Dwarfs in full sun, making sure; as always, one has good drainage, along with fairly loose friable soils, which helps the roots fan out in all directions.
Partial sun in soft light climates will generally stop flower production.
So, if your soils are heavy either build up your chosen bedding position or add really course sand with either some old compost or leaf litter added in.
At planting time, please do not include fertilisers as this will often make them bolt and not flower, it also can lead to the rotting of your rhizome.
As I keep harping over the past year or so, sun, soil and drainage are the key factors to your gardening success.
At least a month before planting, the new home for your dwarf iris should be fertilised with dolomite, nitrogen, potash, and phosphorus as these are essential for your Iris's well being. Talk with your local nursery regarding the correct balanced fertiliser, something along the lines of a low-nitrogen fertiliser such as 5-10-10 is fine.
Iris will grow in a wide variety of soil types but a light, loamy soil with a pH of 6 to 7 that has been amended with organic matter is best.
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