Growing Bearded Iris

With their showy spring flowers, perennial Bearded Iris are a mainstay in many gardens and public landscapes. Known for its distinctive furry "beard", Bearded Iris or Iris germanica is one of the most reliable and dramatic of the spring flowers. Available in a variety of colors, easy to grow Bearded Irises will do best planted in full sun and well-draining soil, though you’ll often find them blooming under much tougher conditions. Even though Bearded Iris are low-maintenance perennials, there are a few things to do to keep them looking their best. 

First, keep an eye on your iris and once the blooms begin to fade, cut the flower stalk to the base. This will prevent the formation of seed pods. Next, feed your Bearded Irises after flowering ends with Bone Meal or Dutch Bulb Food. Apply the fertilizer to the area around the root system, avoiding direct contact with the exposed rhizomes. Third, recognize when it’s time to dig and divide your Bearded Iris. Over time, Bearded Iris will become crowded and overgrown. When this happens, they produce fewer, smaller blooms or in some cases, stop blooming entirely.  When you notice your Bearded Iris aren't blooming, it's an indication the plant needs to be divided. 

Bearded Iris grow in clumps and the root of an iris is called a rhizome. The best tool to use to dig iris roots is a spading fork. Spading forks make it easy to get under and lift the rhizome without causing damage to the roots. 

Once you’ve got the clump of Bearded Iris rhizomes out of the ground, you’ll want to remove the oldest and any diseased rhizomes. You can divide the clump with a knife or by simply breaking off each root with your hand. Trim the leaves in a fan shape down to between 4" and 6". Mark the leaves with the name of the iris, so you’ll remember which one it is. When you’re planting your iris in their new location, remember that iris grow in the direction of the heel, so place your rhizomes with the leaves pointed  in the direction you want the plant to grow. 

Iris thrive in soils that have been amended, so add a couple of inches of Sheep, Peat and Compost and dig it in 4-5 inches. Add some Bone Meal or Dutch Bulb Food and place the rhizome so that the roots are fanned out to the side, then add enough soil to cover the roots, while leaving the very top of the rhizome exposed. Water in thoroughly. Your iris will establish through the late summer and fall and be ready to bloom next spring. Bearded Iris are available now in rooted, one-gallon containers and as bare-root rhizomes later in the season.  Many varieties of bearded iris will re-bloom in late summer. Halloween Halo is a good choice for blooms now and again in late summer.  

Know Your Tomato Terms

Whether you start your own or buy starts from us, there's nothing like growing and picking your own tomatoes. It doesn't matter if you have a large garden bed or grow your tomatoes in a container on your patio, there's a tomato variety for you. To get the most from your tomatoes, it’s important to understand the terminology. Tomato plants are classified as either indeterminate or determinate. Indeterminate plants grow all season, continuing to bloom and produce fruit right up until first frost; even longer if you protect them with a frost cloth. Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee Purple and Fourth of July are just a few of the indeterminate varieties available. Determinate variety tomatoes, also called bush tomatoes grow to a certain height and set fruit all at once. Determinate tomatoes include Bush Early Girl, Celebrity and Patio, among others. Determinate tomatoes are great for container gardening, like this Tumbling Tom Red.

 Tomatoes are categorized as either heirloom or hybrid. A tomato is considered an heirloom when the seed has been saved and grown for at least fifty years. Heirlooms are grown for their superior flavor, texture and unique appearance. In general, heirloom take longer to produce a tomato crop, but the taste is worth it. 

Hybrid tomatoes offer a shorter time to maturity, generally higher yields and improved disease resistance over heirlooms. Hybrid tomatoes look like grocery store tomatoes, but with a superior taste because you grew them yourself. Finally, tomatoes fall into four basic types: cherry and grape, paste, slicer and beefsteak. Cherry tomatoes are shaped like cherries and tend to be sweet. Grape tomatoes are meaty and crunchy and tend to taste like a tomato. Paste tomatoes tend to be meaty fruits with fewer seeds., just right for making tomato sauce. Slicing tomatoes are mid to large sized, just right for sandwiches. Beefsteak tomatoes are the largest variety. As a home gardener, mixing types of tomatoes is a good way to ensure you’ll have a fresh harvest throughout the season. Plant varieties that mature in fifty to sixty days, such as Fourth of July (49 days) and Sun Gold (57 days), followed by main season varieties like Mortgage Lifter (80 days) and Cherokee Purple (80 days). For a complete list of tomato varieties available this season, click here.  

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