How to use irises in the garden
How to use irises in the garden with four different planting design ideas, and a peek into my new book:
How to use irises in the garden, with four different planting combination ideas
How to plant and look after iris through the year
A peek into my new book.
The beauty of the iris
What a beauty the iris is… and yet many of us stay away from it as we worry about it being too transient, that the flowers don’t last long enough, that they’re difficult…
Well - yes and no. There are some which flower more than once, called ‘remontant’.
But the others?
It’s true that each flower might only last three or four days, but as there are at least four or five flowers on each stem, if you carefully break them off as they fade, you’ll get a good three weeks out of one stem. And remember that not all irises bloom at the same time: with a bit of planning, you’re looking at a good six weeks’ worth of interest.
And isn’t that what gardening is about? Enjoying the beauty in something transient, welcoming it, waving goodbye as it leaves, and then the expectation of it the following year?
Whilst it’s murky/windy/generally yucky out there (here’s my remedy for that), I reckon a bit of plant planning is just the thing to get us revved up again. With that in mind, I’ve put together four different planting combinations using different irises, with a range to suit both beginners and more experienced gardeners, along with a sprint through a year of iris care.
Get out those plant brochures, those nursery websites, and maybe even that notebook, and start planning!
PS - there’s a whole series of border design here on The Gardening Mind:
If you get really puzzled trying to figure out how many different varieties to choose when you’re buying plants, this post is for you:
If you’re just starting out, have a look at the Easy Gardening and How to Garden sections. Things like soil and compost might feel a bit boring, but get those right and it’ll make the world of difference:
And if you’re interested in joining the Small Garden Design Course: you can start on that any time:
