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Amazing Irises for the Home GardenIris Elegance and Charm Never Out of PlaceIrises come in an astonishing variety of types, The curious gardener may want to experiment with some of these.
Myriads of irises are available today: bearded, beardless, crested, rhizomatous, bulbous, dwarf, German, Siberian, Louisiana, Dutch, Spanish, English. There are irises for bogs and rock gardens, for woodlands and spring bulb collections. The adventurous gardener may want to try some of the following. I. foetidissima is hardy up to USDA zone 6. As the name implies, it has a repellant odor when its leaves are bruised, reminiscent of boiled meat. Its attraction, however, is the seedpods which appear in autumn; they explode with glossy orange seeds which cling to the pods through the winter. The pods are coveted for indoor arrangements. This iris prefers good soil and moisture with partial shade. I. ensata, also hardy to zone 6, is the official name of the Japanese iris. Japanese gardeners began collecting wild specimens over 800 years ago and have been hybridizing them since. The large, orchid-like blossoms, six to ten inches in diameter, resemble flags waving—hence the name, Flag iris. They are characterized by rich colors and veined markings . I.ensata is partial to constant moisture and does well at pond borders and in boggy conditions. I. cristata, to zone 5, is a dwarf crested iris native to woodlands of the eastern U.S. and is good for naturalizing. It is blue with a yellow crest, variously described as on the stem or at the base of each outer petal. Partial shade and a humus-rich soil will encourage its early spring bloom. I. tectorum, also to zone 5, is known as the Japanese roof iris. Lore has it that this iris has been used as a living thatch for Oriental homes. It grows to about 12 inches and is covered with lilac or white blossoms. I. pallida, zones 4-8, isone of the orris root irises (the other two being I.germanica and I.florentina). Its roots at one time were powdered and used in toothpastes, preservatives, perfumes and gin. Today, while it has lovely lavender blossoms, it is grown primarily for its striking foliage. One variety (‘Aurea Variegata’) has bright green leaves edged with yellow; ‘Argentea Variegata’ boasts blue-green leaves with white stripes. I. chrysographes, zones 6-9, hails from western China and has been little grown in the west. The blossoms are dark maroon and fragrant, the foliage reed-like and gray-green. It is partial to constant moisture. Sources Reader’s Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening, Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. Pleasantville, NY, 1989. Treasury of Gardening, Publications International, Ltd.,Lincolnwood,Il,1994.
The copyright of the article Amazing Irises for the Home Garden in Perennial Plants is owned by Connie Ganong. Permission to republish Amazing Irises for the Home Garden in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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