The Whole “Scoop” on Fertilizing Iris

Customers often ask us, “How and when should I fertilizer my iris?” 

The short answer (continue reading for the nitty-gritty): one month before bloom season, while the tulips are blooming, apply a low-nitrogen, well-balanced fertilizer, such as Schreiner’s 6-10-10 Controlled Release Iris Food. Keep the fertilizer several inches away from the rhizomes. Approximately on month after bloom season, fertilize again. That sums it up nicely, but perhaps you would like a bit more to chew on about the “what” and “when” of feeding your Iris. Read on for a more substantial serving of info on nurturing both your soil and your Iris.

There are four main nutrients that we must maintain in the soil: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium. The first three nutrients are found in most mixed fertilizers, and calcium can be purchased separately in the form of limestone. Nitrogen is necessary for new cell formation in all parts of a plant. Compared to other nutrients, nitrogen is typically the most lacking. A symptom of a shortage of nitrogen is yellow-green stunted growth. Potassium (potash) is necessary for strong roots and stems as well as deep flower color. A symptom of potash deficiency is weak stems and yellowing or browning leaf tips and edges. Phosphorus is necessary for development of roots and stems. This nutrient also stimulates fruit and seed production. A symptom of Phosphorus deficiency is red or purple discoloration of leaves.

Before applying any fertilizer to your garden, do a soil test to discover what your plants actually need. The best way to know how much, and at what proportion, to add nutrients to the soil is with a soil test. Simple soil tests can be purchased at garden supply centers. Once you determine what nutrients are lacking or are in abundance, you can amend the soil to correct most problems. Your soil test may also reveal a need to correct pH or add trace minerals, for example. Completing a soil test, and making modifications to your soil based on the results, is the preferred method to determine fertilizer amounts.

Fertilization of Iris is important to obtain best results, but must be done in moderation. The only thing Iris may resent more than underfeeding is overfeeding. Nitrogen, potash, and phosphorus are essential for Iris, but excessive nitrogen promotes lush growth that is more susceptible to rot diseases. If applied in concentrated form, do not allow the fertilizer to come in direct contact with foliage and roots, as the plant may be damaged or killed. Low-nitrogen fertilizers, such as 6-10-10, are ideal for the needs of Iris.

When to apply fertilizer to Iris:

1)   In the spring, about a month before bloom, apply a light application of fertilizer around the Iris clumps. This goes for dwarf iris, too, which bloom in March. Apply a low-Nitrogen fertilizer to your dwarf iris in mid to late February. Apply the same to your intermediate and tall bearded iris in intervals coinciding with the month before their bloom cycles.

2)  At planting, sprinkle a tablespoon of the fertilizer around the newly planted rhizome. Or, if preparing a large area for iris planting, incorporate ½ lb of a low-nitrogen fertilizer such as 6-10-10 per 50 ft² (or 1 ½ oz per 10 ft²) to your garden bed.

3)  After your Iris bloom is another time you should fertilize them. Doing so keeps them healthy and in tiptop shape for better growth for the growing cycle later in the year. Wait a month or so after blooms have finished, or in the fall, with enough time before winter so the Iris have the proper nutrition they need going into their winter dormancy.

Here’s a little more info on the subject of fertilizing, including a short video with Ben Schreiner showing us how and when to feed your iris

Now that you’ve got the scoop on Iris nourishment, you can take the necessary action to feed your hungry Iris. Schreiner’s Gardens offers a specially formulated Iris food to help you provide balanced nutrition in the flower garden. Order now for summer and fall shipment.

Yours in gardening!

Information sourced from: www.ces.ncsu.edu and https://www.growingagreenerworld.com

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How to Build Iris Beds — World of Irises

Link to blog post on building iris beds: https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/35117626/posts/2283390036

Thank you for your patience.

~ Schreiner’s Iris Gardens

Creating Chromatic Contrast with Iris

The idea of a monochromatic garden isn’t a new one, but it is a good one.

Bearded Iris represent the full spectrum of the rainbow. Planting a full range of colors in your garden brings brightness and variety to the scene. Some of us like the mixed up rainbow effect, others like to plant in tidy, organized blocks of color. Building upon the idea of uniform color blocks,  below we present the idea of planting an area using a monochromatic theme. Monochromatic color schemes are derived from a single base hue, then extended using its shades, tones and tints…. As a result, the energy is more subtle and peaceful due to a lack of contrast of hue.* Iris blossoms in shades and tones of a single base hue move the eyes from dark to bright and back again.

Let’s take purple as an easy example. The range of purples in the Bearded Iris family seemingly defies notation. Nevertheless, here is just a sample of Iris falling into the purple spectrum.

Varieties featured above from left to right: Badlands, Rosalie Figge, Rhinelander, Good Looking, Excuse Me Darling, Christmas Present, Royal Sterling

Here is another example of reds lightening to pinks:

Varieties featured above from left to right: Infrared, Red Hawk, Code Red, Dance The Night Away, Entice, Power Point, Rite of Passage

Keep in mind, when creating a visual spectrum in the garden, you might wish to choose Iris that bloom at the same time. The Iris pictured above were chosen only for their color for purposes of illustration. When selecting Iris for your garden design, pay particular attention to their listed bloom season. Also, keep in mind that Iris will bloom at slightly different times depending on the weather and climate in your area.

A fun idea for a chromatic extremes, or “Yin Yang”, garden might be the exclusive use of very dark and white! When these Iris are planted in proximity (12 to 18 inches apart), and with simultaneous bloom time, you are sure to enjoy the full impact of the color contrast. You’ll find these groups of white Iris in our new Moonbeams in May Iris Collection, and the dark Iris in our new After Midnight Iris Collection.

The possibilities are endless. The wonderful thing about gardening is that you can always change things up. Experiment, have fun, let your creative spirit loose!

P.S. Share images of the results of your garden design on Schreiner’s Gardens’ Facebook page.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monochromatic_color

Perfectly Planning Pretty Plantings

Ms. Holland Spicker has once again assembled a perfect planning guide for companions in your Iris bed, this time for the pinks, reds and purples. Her use of collages of color and plants makes planning your decorative garden, and your next order of plants, super simple.

You might also take a peek at our Bearded Iris planting guide pages found on our website.

Happy planning!

The Schreiner Family

By Susanne Holland Spicker’RED SKIES’ (Ghio ’07)”The garden: Where inspiration and creativity begins and it never ends”This time of year I like to pause and evaluate the previous gardening year. By now in zone 6 the irises have been divided or transplanted into new areas. Perennials were planted in the fall. Poor performers have been moved…

via “Talking Irises” TALL BEARDED IRISES: COMPANION PLANTS for PINK, RED, and PURPLE IRISES — World of Irises

Iris Foliage In The Summer Garden

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!

Bearded Iris Grow Strong All Summer Long

Summer days, summer gardens. Most enjoyable. For the Tall Bearded Iris in your garden, summer is also the perfect time to grow, to expand, to be transplanted.

Bearded Iris experience two root growth cycles in their annual growing cycle. The springtime growth we all eagerly anticipate in our Iris beds begins with the lengthening of the foliage upward and the root system outward. The rhizome uses its stored-up nutrients.”….As the bud swellings appear in the new fans there is a quickening of the new roots that will supply the plant with nutrients for new growth during and after bloom. The old roots from the previous year’s growth then wither and decay.” ( The World of Irises, p 314)  After the springtime color display of full bloom has passed for the year, the underground development begins in earnest.

The Iris revel in the long summer days. During the six to eight weeks post bloom, the plants absorb the necessary nutrients for next spring’s growth and bloom. The rhizomes send out new increases which will become new self-contained, self-supporting rhizomes by early to mid-July. Once the summer growth is complete, the Iris takes a well-earned rest. Enter the gardener, spade in hand, plan in mind. Now is the time to dig, divide, share and transplant.

Here, in the Willamette Valley our Iris bloom season ends early- to mid-June. Therefore, at Schreiner’s Iris Gardens, we begin digging our fields early to mid-July. On a smaller scale in your garden, consider digging your Iris to transplant this summer if the clump is three to five years old. Share the divided Iris not only in your own garden, but also with the neighbors, friends and family….garden clubs, retirement homes, 4H clubs, and so on. Allowing Iris clumps to become over grown can lead to poor or no blossoms, smaller and smaller rhizomes, and outbreaks of rhizome-based diseases (such as bacterial soft rot).

Remember that the latest date for transplanting depends on local conditions. Newly planted Iris require a minimum of 6 weeks to set their new roots. Thus, they should be in the ground a minimum of six weeks before the first hard frost. Consult local resources to determine the frost dates in your area.

So, how do you go about digging and dividing the Iris in your garden? Visit our “How to Grow Iris” pages for more details and images on dividing and caring for your Iris! Take a look at another great Iris care resource, “A Guide to Bearded Irises: Cultivating the Rainbow“, by Kelly D. Norris.

What’s happening in the July garden? To trim or not to trim the foliage…Depending on your location, you may have a handful of lingering Iris blossoms, or all of your bloom stalks might be sporting the papery remains of the seasons’ blooms. When all blossoms on the stalks have finished, carefully trim the bloom stalk at its base. Leave all green foliage, though, in place. They offer an elegant vertical visual throughout the garden. You may remove any browned and dry leaves. Keep the Iris beds clean and free of weeds. Well-established Iris plants are drought tolerant. Newly planted Iris, though, do require a good long drink approximately every 7 to 10 days if the weather is very dry. Reblooming Iris also prefer irrigation between the spring bloom and summer/autumn re-bloom times. We recommend an application of a low-nitrogen fertilizer (such as 6-10-10) approximately one month after blooms have finished. Superphosphate and bonemeal also work well as a fertilizer for Iris.

Summer brings the promise of long days enjoying our gardens and all aspects of our lives. The season also brings with it our annual Summer Sale. You’ll find over 300 varieties of Tall Bearded Iris at deeply discounted prices.

Shades, Tones and Tints in the Iris Garden

The idea of a monochromatic garden isn’t a new one, but it is a good one. Good enough to justify republishing this blog post, even. This time, though, we have another link for you to investigate. Blogger Susanne Holland Spicker recently published a visually fantastic description of monochromatic Iris plantings on the American Iris Society’s blog “World of Irises”. Click to read Ms. Holland Spicker’s post, “The Blue Iris Garden“.

Bearded Iris represent the full spectrum of the rainbow. Planting a full range of colors in your garden brings brightness and variety to the scene. Some of us like the mixed up rainbow effect, others like to plant in tidy, organized blocks of color. Building upon the idea of uniform color blocks,  below we present the idea of planting an area using a monochromatic theme. Monochromatic color schemes are derived from a single base hue, then extended using its shades, tones and tints…. As a result, the energy is more subtle and peaceful due to a lack of contrast of hue.* Iris blossoms in shades and tones of a single base hue move the eyes from dark to bright and back again.

Let’s take purple as an easy example. The range of purples in the Bearded Iris family seemingly defy notation. Nevertheless, here is just a sample of Iris falling into the purple spectrum.

Varieties featured above from left to right: Badlands, Rosalie Figge, Rhinelander, Excuse Me Darling, Feature Attraction, Royal Sterling, Fancy Stuff

Here is another example of reds lightening to pinks:

Varieties featured above from left to right: Infrared, Red Hawk, Code Red, Dance The Night Away, Annabelle Rose, Power Point, Drifting Bubbles

A fun idea for an extreme garden might be the exclusive use of black and white! The Tall Bearded Iris shown below all have a registered bloom season of mid-to-late. When these Iris are planted in proximity, 12 to 18 inches apart, and with simultaneous bloom time, you are sure to enjoy the full impact of the color contrast.

Varieties featured above from left to right: Raven Girl, Immortality, Black Is Black, Winter Waltz, Black Suited, Angelwalker

Keep in mind, when creating a visual spectrum in the garden, you many wish to choose Iris that bloom at the same time. The Iris pictured above were chosen only for their color for purposes of illustration. When selecting Iris for your garden design, pay particular attention to their listed bloom season. Also, keep in mind that Iris will bloom at slightly different times depending on the weather and climate in your area.

The possibilities are endless. The wonderful thing about gardening is that you can always change things up. Experiment, have fun, let your creative spirit loose!

P.S. Share images of the results of your garden design on Schreiner’s Gardens’ Facebook page.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monochromatic_color

Sultry July Nights in the Iris Garden

Hot summer nights. Hot summer days. Sultry summer afternoons….. Perfect for dreaming, for transformation. For the Iris in your garden, it’s the perfect time to grow, to expand, to be transplanted.

The single Iris rhizome you planted last summer has transformed even in just one year, promising an even greater display come next spring. Here’s how: Bearded Iris experience two root growth cycles in their annual growing cycle. The springtime growth we all eagerly anticipate in our Iris beds begins with the lengthening of the foliage upward and the root system outward. The rhizome uses its stored-up nutrients.  Borrowing from Ben Hager, who writes in his chapter on Bearded Iris propagation in The World of Irises, “….as the bud swellings appear in the new fans there is a quickening of the new roots that will supply the plant with nutrients for new growth during and after bloom. The old roots from the previous year’s growth then wither and decay.” (p 314)  The springtime growth of the Iris, from bud to past bloom, is largely above ground… thankfully for us gardeners who eat up the sight with our winter-weary eyes. After the color display of full bloom has passed for the year, the underground development begins in earnest.

The Iris revel in the long summer days. During the six to eight weeks post bloom, the plants absorb the necessary nutrients for next spring’s growth and bloom. The rhizomes send out new increases which will become new self-contained, self-supporting rhizomes by the end of the summer. Once the summer growth is complete, the Iris takes a well-earned rest. Then gardeners eager to expand their Iris empire can begin to think about dividing older Iris clumps and transplanting the new rhizomes.

The Iris rhizome has reached full maturity as the sultry July days, the dog days of August arrive; summer dormancy has set in. Here, in the Willamette Valley our Iris bloom season ends early to mid June. Therefore, at Schreiner’s Iris Gardens, we begin digging our fields early to mid-July. We are “transplanting” our Iris all over the world. On a smaller scale in your garden, consider digging your Iris to transplant if the clump is three to five years old. Overgrown clumps can lead to poor or no flowering habits, smaller and smaller rhizomes, and outbreaks of rhizome-based diseases (such as bacterial soft rot). Share the divided Iris not only in your own garden, but also with the neighbors, friends and family….garden clubs, retirement homes, 4H clubs, and so on.  Remember that the latest date for transplanting depends on local conditions. Newly planted Iris require a minimum of 6 weeks to set their new roots. Thus, they should be in the ground a minimum of six weeks before the first hard frost. Consult local resources to determine the frost dates in your area.

So, how do you go about digging and dividing the Iris in your garden? Visit our “How to Grow Iris” pages for more details and images on dividing and caring for your Iris! Take a look at another great Iris care resource, “A Guide to Bearded Irises: Cultivating the Rainbow“, by Kelly D. Norris.

~ Happy Gardening!

 

June Has Busted, June Has Burst! Quench Your Tall Bearded Iris Thirst!

The summer solstice, a most propitious date — brings the promise of long, heady days of summer, reaping the success in our gardens and in all aspects of our lives. June 21st also heralds the start of our 2014 Summer Sale. You’ll find over 350 varieties of Tall Bearded Iris at deeply discounted prices. Pictured on the cover of our summer sale catalog below is a special bonus for your summer sale order. “Swept Off My Feet”, one of our 2014 introductions, is the 2014 Summer Sale bonus. Use coupon code SSC2014 to get yours. (*Limit one per customer; minimum $25 order of plants.)

What’s happening in the June garden? Depending on your location, you may have a handful of lingering Iris blossoms, or all of your bloom stalks might be sporting the papery remains of the seasons’ blooms. When all blossoms on the stalks have finished, carefully trim the bloom stalk at its base. Leave all green foliage in place. They offer an elegant vertical visual throughout the garden. You may remove any browned and dry leaves, though. Keep the Iris beds clean and free of weeds. Well-established Iris plants are drought tolerant. Newly planted Iris, though, do require a good long drink approximately every 7 to 10 days if the weather is very dry. Reblooming Iris also prefer irrigation between the spring bloom and summer/autumn re-bloom times. We recommend an application of a low-nitrogen fertilizer (such as 6-10-10) approximately one month after blooms have finished. Superphosphate and bonemeal also work well as a fertilizer for Iris.

Iridaceous Pink Artistry, Iris Winter Care, and Bulbs vs Rhizomes

Winter Iris Care  Does your Iris bed look like this right now…. under a foot of snow? Iris beds covered in a blanket of snow need no care at this time. Let nature’s insulator do its job.

Or maybe they look something like this….a tangled mess of decayed leaves? Well, even though it’s not an ideal sight, don’t be ashamed. Let’s talk about how to remedy the situation.

If you have a garden that boasts bare ground right about now, you most likely are also starting to see signs of spring – along with the darling and beloved daffodil, tulip and hyacinth shoots, weeds and grass blades are also emerging. Now is a good time to dote upon the forgotten Iris bed, and trim back the dead, decayed foliage. If the leaves are droopy, brownish-gray — completely lifeless — then gently tear them off at the base, like a sheet of notebook paper from its spiral. If the leaves are still sturdy and green, trim those down to below any evidence of leaf spot.

Clear away the debris from the beds, pick out the emerging weeds, if any, from the soft soil. You might spray a preventative fungicide at this point, as well. Follow all manufacture’s recommendations carefully. If you anticipate another freeze in your area, you can lay evergreen boughs or straw over your newly-cleaned out Iris beds for added protection until the spring temperatures return in earnest. At which time, you will remove any covering. Remember, rhizomes grow close to the surface and want to feel that sunshine. Bearded Iris can be very forgiving, largely due to their very sturdy nature.

Bulbs vs. Rhizomes

Just a short two bits on the distinction between two of the methods herbaceous perennials (including Bearded Iris) utilize for food storage…. Plants have evolved several methods of storing food so that they can spring to life when the conditions are right, bulbs and rhizomes among them. The definition of a bulb is any plant that stores its complete life cycle in an underground storage structure. The “food” is converted sunshine, collected through the leaves through photosynthesis, and carried into the “larder”. Only some of the plants commonly called bulbs actually are bulbs. Bearded Iris, although falling into the above definition, develop a storage structure known as a rhizome (really an underground “stem”). The rhizome is the larder for nutrients that give the plant the energy it needs to grow, bloom, and complete its life cycle. Trimming the Iris foliage too early deprives the plant of its food intake.  Rhizomes grow horizontally just under the surface of the soil which is why they must be planted shallowly, in soil with good drainage.

Peggy Sue with Lilies and Echinacea

Send Iris the promise of Iris…with our annual Sweetheart Iris Collection!

Celebrate the passion of Valentine’s Day all over again during Iris bloom season. Send these five radiant Tall Bearded Iris to your sweetheart, or invite them into your own heart (and garden)* with our annual  Sweetheart Iris Collection.

These five sweet beauties offer wonderful discount and a lovely array of pink, just screaming out, “Be Mine!”

Only $49.95 (plus s/h)

(*We ship our freshly dug Iris July – September)

Thank you to the following websites for the succinct information on bulbs and herbaceous perennials: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/bulbs/bulbbasics.cfm and http://healthyhomegardening.com/Blog.php?pid=105