NGV May/June 2022

Bearded Irises:
The Ultimate Show-stoppers
Every May and June I am
bewitched by the sheer
flamboyance and beauty
of the bearded irises in the
borders of gardens I visit.
The large, showy blooms
come in many colours and
it’s a shame that we don’t
have “smelly-vision” as
most are sweetly scented.
They are called “bearded”
because of the line of hairs on
the lower petals. These beards
are often in a contrasting
colour to the petal and act like
runway lights to guide bees to
the nectar and pollen.
With bearded irises it is
important to give them the
right conditions if you want
them to thrive and flower.
They grow from a knobbly
rhizome – a sort of modified
root. These need to be planted
so that they are not completely
buried – maybe halfway up
their thickness. They like a
sunny spot: this year’s sun
makes next year’s flowers. The
ground must be free draining:
add grit below the rhizomes
if your soil is moist and forget
about growing them if it’s
boggy – there are plenty of
other types of iris you can
grow!
You can plant pot-grown
bearded iris at any time but
often nurseries supply them
bare rooted as they are difficult
to keep nice in a pot. There are
many hundreds of varieties in a
range of heights and colours to
choose from.
The flowering season starts in
late April with the very dwarf
varieties. These are less than
16in or 40cm tall and best
suited for a rockery. Next come
the intermediates (16in – 28”
/ 40-70cm) that flower from
early May. Then later in May the
tall, bearded types (28-48” /
70-120cm) and these have the
showiest flowers.
After flowering you can cut the
flower stems off as close to
the rhizome as possible using a
sharp, sterile knife since leaving
them on can cause rotting of
the plants.
Bearded irises are tough,
drought tolerant plants very
well suited to modern as well
as traditional gardens looking
equally as good as drifts or as
single, statement plants and
with so many heights and
colours to choose from there’s
no reason why every sunny
garden shouldn’t have some.
Martin Blow
Janet & I organise
Plant Hunters’ Fairs, specialist
plant fairs at wonderful
locations. Please see:
www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk
for a full list of all 30 of our
2022 plant fairs.
PLANT FAIR DATES FOR
YOUR DIARY 2022
Please check website for event
confirmation and ticketing
information before travelling.
1620’s House and Garden, Nr.
Coalville LE67 2FW on Sunday
15th May. Entry to Garden &
Plant Fair £1.
Carsington Water, Ashbourne
DE6 1ST on Saturday 28th
May. FREE ENTRY to the plant
fair & country park (small
charge to park).
Thoresby Park, Nr Ollerton,
Newark, Notts NG22 9EP on
Saturday 18th June. FREE
ENTRY to the plant fair &
country park (small charge to
park).
Middleton Hall, Nr Tamworth
B78 2AE on Sunday 26th June.
Entry to Garden & Plant Fair £3.
Southwell Minster, Palace
Garden, Notts NG25 0HD on
Sunday 7th August. Entry to
plant fair suggested donation £2.