BEARDED IRISES F LORET'S FAVORITE
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
RET’S FAVORIT
FLO E
BEAR DED IR ISES
F LO R E T ’ S FAVO R I T E B E A R D E D I R I S E S | © 2 0 2 1 F LO R E T L LC
A few years ago we had the pleasure of visiting Schreiner’s Iris
Gardens in Salem, Oregon, and I’ve been obsessed with
bearded irises ever since. Their display garden is one of the best I’ve
seen, chock full of the most stunning bearded irises and glorious
perennials you can imagine. It’s a true bucket list experience, one
of those things you just need to see in your lifetime. If you get the
chance, I highly recommend going—May is their peak flowering
month and the perfect time to visit.
The crazy thing is that when we bought our house, the yard was
bordered by dozens of brightly colored rhododendrons, and in
between each bush was a big patch of old-fashioned bearded iris
varieties. I was young and naive and wanted to make the yard
my own, so I dug up and threw away all of the plants. But now,
almost 20 years later, I’ve rediscovered these treasures and have
worked to build up an amazing collection of the most beautiful,
unusual-colored varieties for arranging.
Bearded irises range in height from short to tall, and some are
fragrant. They come in a spectrum of unusual hues, including
a palette of blues and even black. And they multiply, so after
you make an initial investment in rhizomes, you can divide and
increase your stock for years to come. They bloom during a brief
window of time that bridges the gap between the spring-flowering
AT-A-GLANCE SCHEDULE
bulbs and the perennials and hardy annuals. Irises’ bloom time
coincides with that of peonies and biennials, and they all look
stunning together. L ATE SPRING: Harvest, and make note of varieties you
see blooming and want to add for next year.
I’ve trialed more than a hundred varieties and narrowed down the
list to my top favorites. It’s easy to dismiss these old-fashioned SUMMER: Plant new rhizomes so that they’re in the
flowers, especially if you haven’t experienced the rainbow of colors ground at least six weeks before your first hard frost.
and intoxicating fragrance available, but once you discover all that Divide plants every three to five years; replant divisions.
they have to offer, I know you’ll fall head over heels in love too.
F LO R E T ’ S FAVO R I T E B E A R D E D I R I S E S | © 2 0 2 1 F LO R E T L LC
HOW TO HAR V E ST
Always harvest during the cool hours of the morning or late
afternoon/evening. Bearded irises are very fragile once they’re
open, so it’s important to pick them before that. I do this when
they’re in the “pencil” stage—this is when blooms are still closed
but an inch or two of color is showing at the tip. If picked at this
stage, the flowers will open inside in the vase within a day or two. VASE LIFE T RICKS
You can also harvest flowers when they are fully open, but take While individual flowers don’t have the longest vase life (three
extra care when handling them because the petals will bruise and to four days), if you keep removing flowers as they age and begin
crease quite easily. to fade, one branching stem can give you up to 10 glorious days
of bloom.
F LO R E T ’ S FAVO R I T E B E A R D E D I R I S E S | © 2 0 2 1 F LO R E T L LC
PLANNING CARDS
To help you visually plan your bearded iris patch, we’ve You can print these cards on your home printer, or send
created a set of printable planning cards on the pages the file to your local print shop to print on heavier weight
ahead. The varieties shown are favorites that we’ve grown, cardstock if you want your set to hold up better over time.
photographed, and documented. Each card includes the For a small fee, most print shops will even cut them for you!
variety name, photo, height, and bloom time.
We hope these planning cards help you discover new
These planning cards are a great way to build out color varieties and plan the patch that’s right for you.
palettes for bouquets or weddings, though you can use
these cards to plan however you’d like, whether that’s by Have fun planning!
color, height, or bloom time.
F LO R E T ’ S FAVO R I T E B E A R D E D I R I S E S | © 2 0 2 1 F LO R E T L LC
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Belgian Princess’ ‘Berry Scary’ ‘Blue Hour’
Ruffled lilac-and-silver flowers appear to be Medium-sized plants carry rich grape blooms Long stems carry beautiful, fragrant sky blue
dusted in glitter. Blooms have tangerine- with lighter gray petal edges. A saffron-colored flowers.
colored beards, giving them extra dimension. beard makes it extra striking.
39 INCHES • MIDSEASON 38 INCHES • EARLY MIDSEASON 36 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Blushing Kiss’ ‘Bollywood’ ‘Center Line’
This sweet variety is loaded with medium-sized Unique light yellow and lavender bicolor Medium-sized, warm peach blooms have muted
salmon-apricot flowers—up to 8 blooms per blooms blend beautifully together, and pewter grape-colored veining and a saffron beard. A
stem. Flowers practically glow in the garden. petal edges give flowers a metallic quality. really beautiful and subtle combination.
37 INCHES • MIDSEASON 42 INCHES • MIDSEASON LATE 32 INCHES • MIDSEASON
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Chenille’ ‘Coffee Trader’ ‘Cotillion Gown’
Large, full flowers are a soft beige with a light Medium-sized, extremely ruffled flowers are a Slender stems are topped with lovely buff-
lavender cast set against a saffron-orange beard. stunning coffee color with a metallic lavender apricot blooms that have delicate purple
Blooms have a beautiful iridescent quality. blush. streaking.
38 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON 38 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON 35 INCHES • EARLY MIDSEASON
F LO R E T ’ S FAVO R I T E B E A R D E D I R I S E S | © 2 0 2 1 F LO R E T L LC
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Country Kisses’ ‘Downtown Brown’ ‘English Charm’
Each stem is loaded with fragrant, medium- The tallest and most productive in the patch, What this variety lacks in stature it makes up for
sized dusty lavender-rose blooms with an this variety has long stems loaded with up to a in its coloring. Flowers are a beautiful combo of
opalescent quality. It’s extremely productive. dozen lavender-cocoa colored blooms. creamy yellow and soft caramel-apricot.
34 INCHES • MIDSEASON 40 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON 34 INCHES • MIDSEASON
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Enraptured’ ‘Find Your Fade’ ‘Full of Magic’
Towering stems carry stunning lavender-and- Small, glowing lilac-purple flowers have This variety is one of the most striking in
cocoa-colored flowers with a striking orange distinct purple-and-white streaking. Plants are the patch. Peachy-pink upper petals contrast
beard. It’s one of my all-time favorites. shorter but carry up to 10 blooms per stem. beautifully with mulberry lower ones.
40 INCHES • MID TO LATE SEASON 31 INCHES • LATE 38 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Ghost Writer’ ‘Great Smokey Dawn’ ‘Haunted Heart’
Highly fragrant flowers are a mix of ivory, Towering plants are topped with ruffled flowers Heavily ruffled flowers are lavender-gray with
cocoa, and gray, giving them a smoky, metallic in shades of grape, eggplant, and lavender, with deep purple streaking, giving them a moody
quality. This is one of my top favorites. pronounced striping, that have tons of dimension. quality.
36 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON 40 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON 36 INCHES • MIDSEASON
F LO R E T ’ S FAVO R I T E B E A R D E D I R I S E S | © 2 0 2 1 F LO R E T L LC
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Head Over Heels’ ‘Kind Word’ ‘King of the Road’
Heavily ruffled, fluted blooms are a beautiful This tall, graceful variety has ruffled blush- This sweetly scented variety carries striking
silvery blush. This variety has a very feminine pink petals with a beige cast and delicate flowers with upper petals in the color of sweet
quality. green-gold streaking. cream and lower petals that are rosy hazelnut.
36 INCHES • VERY EARLY TO MIDSEASON 39 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON 36 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Let Evening Come’ ‘Magical’ ‘Natural Charm’
Striking gold-and-smoky-purple bicolor One of the tallest and prettiest varieties in the Dusty rose blooms have pale centers and are a
blooms have a metallic cast. Inner petals have patch, this beauty has extremely long stems perfect size for arranging.
a leopard pattern with a golden beard. carrying perfectly placed apricot-blush blooms.
43 INCHES • MIDSEASON 37 INCHES • EARLY TO MIDSEASON 35 INCHES • MIDSEASON
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Owyhee Desert’ ‘Schoolboy Heart’ ‘Shadowed Moon’
This interesting variety has fragrant creamy- This variety is on the shorter side but boasts Tall, slender stems carry gold-and-eggplant-
white flowers with mustard and rust veining. an abundance of saturated rosy peach blooms, hued flowers. The color combination looks
Blooms have a distinct triangular shape. up to 8 flowers per stem. almost metallic.
34 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON 33 INCHES • MID TO LATE SEASON 35 INCHES • LATE
F LO R E T ’ S FAVO R I T E B E A R D E D I R I S E S | © 2 0 2 1 F LO R E T L LC
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Silver City’ ‘Silverado’ ‘Sweetly Sung’
Towering stems carry gigantic icy lavender Giant icy lavender flowers are extremely ruffled Though short in stature, this variety has
flowers with saffron beards that swoop upward and carry a light fragrance. Petals have delicate fabulous coloring. Small flowers are a beautiful
with fringed ends. gray streaking that resembles that of pansies. blend of smoky lavender and peach.
32 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON 38 INCHES • MIDSEASON 34 INCHES • MIDSEASON TO LATE
floretflowers.com floretflowers.com floretflowers.com
‘Trade Secret’ ‘Willamette Mist’ ‘Wonders Never Cease’
Flowers on this productive variety are smaller This variety has thick, broad leaves that carry This tall, sweetly scented variety has enchanting
sized and sweetly scented. Blooms are a smoky periwinkle blue flowers with glaucous reflexed blooms in a mix of chocolate, yellow, and
buttercream with a chartreuse green undertone. lower petals, giving blooms a haunting quality. cream. Petal edges are extremely ruffled.
36 INCHES • EARLY TO LATE 39 INCHES • LATE MIDSEASON 40 INCHES • EARLY TO MIDSEASON
F LO R E T ’ S FAVO R I T E B E A R D E D I R I S E S | © 2 0 2 1 F LO R E T L LC
You can also read
