Iris Foliage In The Summer Garden

August 20, 2015 by Schreiner's Iris Gardens 4 Comments

Iris foliage in the summer garden

Bearded Iris really offer so much to the mixed perennial garden. The beauty they offer in the spring is uncontested, but we often get questions about what to do with the foliage after the spring bloom has faded. Culturally speaking, the foliage must remain intact through the summer growth phase. The foliage converts the energy to feed the growing rhizomes. Shorter foliage can limit the energy conversion. That said, we ourselves trim the foliage when we prepare our plants for order fulfillment. This practice of trimming foliage is also generally followed when gardeners divide and transplant Iris in their home gardens. The shorter foliage facilitates planting — the long blades of the Iris foliage can often prove too heavy for the newly planted rhizome to bear, causing the plant to become dislodged. Established Iris, of course, with their larger root systems, can bear the weight of the foliage.

Thus, we recommend leaving the foliage untrimmed throughout the summer months. Planted among other summer blooming perennials and shrubs, the vertical lines of the Iris foliage provide a wonderful counterpoint to other forms in your garden. The images here illustrate this point. These photos were taken in our Display Gardens in late July.

Iris bed in mid-summer. Vertical lines contrast with shorter annuals and greenery.

Back in the summer of 2012, we published a blog post on the subject of planting and trimming Bearded Iris. Take a look here at that post for more details on planting and trimming.

Thank you as always for reading. How do you appreciate the Iris foliage in your garden? Post a comment below.

And take a look at our summer sale and clearance pages. Some really terrific Iris can be had for some super low prices!

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