How to Grow and Care for Bearded Iris

 

Bearded iris has been a favorite of generations of gardeners and for good reason. They’re reliable perennials, blooming late spring into early summer. They’re easy to grow, available in a variety of bloom colors, and typically don’t require a lot of maintenance.  

 

Bearded Iris bear flowers with six petals: three upright petals which are called standards and three dropping petals which are called falls. The dropping petals have a fuzzy beard-like line running down the center, giving this perennial its name. 

 

Bearded irises grow from a thick root structure called a rhizome. As the plant matures the rhizome multiplies, resulting in more leaves and flowers. Over time, they can become crowded, and they stop producing as many blooms as possible. That’s an indication they need to be divided. Now’s the time to dig and divide bearded iris.   

 

The best tool to use to dig iris roots rhizomes, 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 iris out of the ground, you’ll be able to see the rhizomes clearly.

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 variety 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 planted in the direction you want the plant to grow.  

Bearded Iris are often planted in areas where they don’t get a lot of care. While they will do okay in clay soils, but they 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, leaving the very top of the rhizome exposed. Water in thoroughly. Your iris will establish through the fall and be ready to bloom next spring.  

For the rest of the iris in your garden, remove any dead vegetation, cut the foliage back to 4” to 6” long and fertilize with Bone Meal or Dutch Bulb Food, then water thoroughly. Around Thanksgiving, apply a wood mulch to the iris bed. This will prepare your iris for the winter season ahead, by stabilizing the ground and conserving moisture. Remove the mulch from the top of the rhizome in early spring.

This is also a good time to add new varieties and colors to your garden. We’ve just received our shipments of bearded iris rhizomes, so it’s a great time to add to your collection, while stock is fresh and there’s a good selection of colors.  As you're shopping for bearded iris, you may notice some boxes are labeled "Blooms Spring and Fall". These are "reblooming" iris, that is iris that have been developed to produce blooms in the spring and again in the fall. The same planting guidelines apply.

Pick a good solid rhizome, amend the soil well, add some Bone Meal and make sure you mark the iris, so you’ll remember the name next spring.  With proper care, your iris will bloom reliably for many springs to come.