Distinguished by sophisticated elegance, irises have long been used in decorative floriculture. Of the abundance of species cultivated throughout the world today, blue and blue irises enjoy constant success.
They are recognized as the most exquisite flowers and are most often used to decorate garden interiors. But irises of blue-blue colors are only an impressive part of many species of this most interesting plant and do not stand out as a special type. The cultivation of irises, the rules of agricultural technology and proper care for them will be discussed in the proposed publication.
Species: bearded irises
There are almost seven hundred varieties of this culture, and each of them has its admirers. The impressive category of plants with intricate flowers - bearded irises - enjoys the well-deserved attention of flower growers. The name of this species comes from the exoticforms of an inflorescence, on the long petals of which there are fluffy processes-hairs. Bearded irises are classified by size: tall, medium, standard, curb, dwarf. The most common of the bearded category is the Germanic iris.
Varieties and names in this group are stiff in English and sometimes quite hard to remember. Nevertheless, let's present the most popular and beloved in many countries of the world:
• B altic Sea - ruffled blue iris with striking blue stripes.
• Bewilderbest is a crop with fringed purple flowers streaked with yellow and white.
• Acoma is a variety with beautiful cornflower blue inflorescences edged with a bright lavender stripe.
Irises are not bearded
There is also a conditional group of non-bearded irises, consisting of such species as Siberian, Japanese, Louisiana, Californian, marsh, spuria and other specific crops. Remarkable varieties of Siberian iris, the color of which includes the entire palette of blue-blue and purple hues.
White iris also belongs to the Siberian species, which is also a very conventional designation, since the shades of the flowers of this group vary from yellowish to pale pink and purple. When choosing a variety of Siberian species, the flower grower should remember that these flowers are devoid of aroma and, for all their sophistication, cannot be fragrant. Japanese iris (xiphoid, or Kempfler) with large flowers resembling an orchid in shape,also has absolutely no smell.
Another representative of the group of non-bearded species is the iris Spuria. Large, unusual, elegant and similar to bulbous xifiums, Spuria is a hardy hardy species. It includes such beautiful irises as:
• Lemon Touch - bright lemon with an outstanding dark golden signal, growing up to 1 m in height.
• Transfiguration - high (up to 1 m) purple or blue irises with an antique bronze signal.
• Stella Irene - Gorgeous purplish-black flowers with a slight golden tap.
Special in the category of non-bearded irises are varieties of marsh iris, which differ in that it can develop qualitatively only in moist soils and is often used by landscape designers in decorating reservoirs.
The predominant colors of this culture group are yellow, pink, pale lilac. The most popular and sought after varieties are:
• Golden Queen.
• Flore Pleno.
• Umkirch.
Iris bloom is a magnificent sight. Various shapes and colors of flowers attract both experienced flower growers and beginner gardeners. There is an opinion that the agricultural technique of caring for irises is time-consuming and tedious, however, some subtleties that a gardener needs to know will make this exciting activity easier. Let's talk about growing irises, their preferences and requirements.
Irises: planting and care in the open field. We take into account all the nuances
There are plant features you need to know:
• Irises –rhizomatous plants, which, growing horizontally, often expose the rhizomes. For the winter, they need to be covered, sprinkled with soil and peat, but in the spring this layer is carefully removed.
• These crops categorically do not like organic matter, so humus and other organic fertilizers are unacceptable for them, the best top dressings are water-soluble mineral preparations;.
• The rapid growth of the rhizome leads to a significant shift, often violating the intended composition. Proper planting will help to streamline the rows - irises are planted, focusing on a fan of leaves, it should be located along the row, and not across.
• Planting holes are made shallow. Excessive deepening of the rhizome will not allow the plant to bloom.
When and where to plant irises
You can plant and transplant blue irises, like all others, in spring, autumn or summer, immediately after flowering. Transplants are necessary every 3-5 years, as overgrown plants no longer give full flowering and gradually degenerate.
All irises are light and thermophilic, they prefer fertile, slightly acidic garden soils that are well drained and not subject to close groundwater. Before planting the crop, the selected piece of land is dug up, introducing phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (50-60 g/m2). Excessive soil acidity is neutralized with wood ash or dolomite flour (200 g/m2). Clay and loamy soils are diluted with peat and sand, and clay is added to sandy ones. Before planting, the site is treated with a fungicide, tofor example, "Fundazol", or shed with a weak solution of manganese.
Spring planting
Purchased planting material, whether blue bearded irises or non-bearded counterparts, is treated with growth stimulants, such as Epin, Zircon or Ecogel. Long, dried or rotten adventitious roots are carefully cut, the rhizome is disinfected in a manganese solution for 20-30 minutes.
The technology of planting bearded irises is as follows: sand is poured into the hole with a mound, on which the rhizome is laid horizontally, the roots are straightened and covered with soil so that the top of the rhizome remains above ground level. The soil is then compacted and watered well.
But the rhizomes of non-bearded varieties, when planted, on the contrary, are slightly deepened and mulched with peat or wood chips. The interval between plants should be maintained within half a meter.
Autumn transplants
In autumn or late summer, overgrown plants are usually transplanted. Do this after flowering and until the end of September. They dig up an iris bush with a pitchfork, divide the rhizome into annual links with a leaf spatula, carefully shorten the roots, removing damaged areas, and place them in a cherry-colored manganese solution for 2-3 hours. Then, to improve the elasticity of the tissues of the rhizomes, they are dried in the sun for 4-5 hours. Prepared delenki are planted in the same way as described above.
Features of care: watering and weeding
Irises (other than swamp species) need reasonable watering, strictly controlled during the budding period. ATIn this phase, the plant should receive a sufficient amount of moisture, at other times the irises are watered only when the soil at the roots becomes completely dry.
Remove weeds throughout the growing season. Weeding is carried out manually, without using the usual garden tools, since the roots close to the surface of the earth are damaged. A couple of times during the summer you will have to loosen the soil under the plant to improve the aeration of the roots. These manipulations are also carried out carefully, without violating the integrity of the rhizome shell.
Dried flowers should be removed, as pathogenic microorganisms or insect pests can settle in them. Both of them can significantly complicate the care of the plant and negatively affect its decorative effect.
Feeding
For plants planted in the spring, fertilizer applied during site preparation is sufficient. In subsequent years, irises are fed once a season in the spring, during active growth, with a solution of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. They are brought in at the root. But fertilizing irises during the flowering period is impossible.
Crop care after flowering
If an autumn transplant is not planned, then after the plant has finished flowering, you need to cut the flower stalks. The xiphoid leaves of iris retain a well-known decorative effect until the very cold. White iris is famous for its especially beautiful leaves. The leaves that begin to turn yellow are cut off, and the foliage is completely removed in late autumn, cutting it off at a height of 10-15 cm above the ground.
We have listed the mainstages of growing a crop such as irises. Planting and care in the open field, upon closer inspection, is completely uncomplicated, and the exquisite beauty of the plant will make the grower forget about some of the difficulties in gardening.
