Growing the Guest Irises

By Renee Fraser

In the spring of 2016, the American Iris Society Region 15 Garden Tour will come to my area, and for the first time I volunteered to grow guest irises in hopes that they will survive my gardening skills long enough to put on at least one show of blooms for the attendees. 

In case you are unfamiliar with these tours, each year hybridizers of new irises send dozens of rhizomes of their newest creations out across the country to live in "guest gardens" two to three years before national or regional garden tours.  Volunteers grow the irises and record their performance, and iris lovers sign up, load onto buses or into car caravans, and tour all of the gardens during the treks.  Iris judges take notes about the new plants and evaluate their health, vigor, and blooms. 

My original intent in volunteering to grow these irises was to have an excuse for expanding my garden beds at the expense of my husband's lawn.  Mikey and I are like two feudal lords, jealously guarding the borders of our domains and expanding into neighboring lands when our opponent is occupied on other fronts.  My latest strategy is a row of unmortared bricks lining my beds.  Using a half-moon edger, I can slice out three to four inches of unprotected St. Augustine grass in under an hour, move the bricks out, and pretend like I have just "edged" the lawn for my husband.  The request from the San Fernando Valley Iris Society to grow guest irises was the perfect excuse for demanding a huge island bed in the center of the lawn, where the sun is best, since the big coast redwoods shade the rest of the yard.  My bid was foiled, however, when Mikey offered to fell the ailing and dehydrated coast redwoods, letting sun stream into one of my existing beds instead.  This I allowed, since his other offer was to add an arbor so he could hang himself.

It turned out that the 44 guest irises would not fit into the existing bed, so I claimed imminent domain over about two feet of grass in the borderlands.  A treaty was agreed to, and I began my expansion.  I quickly realized that Mikey had taken me in:  this area of the lawn was infested with Bermuda grass!  This required double-digging, and much screening of dirt.  I wanted the irises to be in raised beds, but to look naturally planted, so I carted in wheelbarrows full of dirt from a neighbor.  Three bags of vermiculite, four bags of soil amendments, and a few wheelbarrows of composted chicken manure from the girls were dug into the soil as well.  (I generally just stick irises straight into the ground and ignore them and they give me a great show, so this preparation is due to unreasonable anxiety, not to any special needs of irises.)

The next challenge to growing irises in my garden is me.  I want lush, green, flower-filled English gardens and I live in a drought-stricken, hot inland Southern California valley.  I know, I know, I should accept the natural order of things and go native, and I have eliminated some of my favorites because they are so thirsty. Even with these changes, weekly irrigation is still a necessity, and that can cause irises to rot, especially when beds are irregularly shaped and lawn sprinkler water reaches them.  I left two patches of Japanese Blood Grass, which appreciates a good swim now and then, at a lower elevation in the bed in the vain hope that water will drain through the raised irises and into the gully of blood grass.  An old plowshare blocks the back spray from the worst offending Rainbird, and in this photo it appears that it will have the added benefit of knee-capping Mikey while he mows.  I shall hand-water the new plants when they get dry, and avoid watering in the heat of summer, which should help prevent rot.

The guest iris bed.  Please ignore the yellowed St. Augustine grass and the crispy Bridal Wreath Spireas and pray for rain in Southern California.  

After growing in pots in the shade through the hottest part of the summer,  I planted the irises in the new bed in September. The plants had healthy looking roots and seem to be adapting well to their new home.  I organized them according to color and height, with the area near my red rose in front of the tuteur for the red irises, the corals, oranges, peaches and pinks next, then warm orchid and red-violets, to purples in the back, over across the blood grass to coppers, tans, yellows and whites, and finally in the far back a few blues.  I stretched plastic bird-netting over the soil and cut holes for the irises to foil the excavations of squirrels, raccoons, oppossoms and Pogo the One-Eyed Cat. There is one Arilbred iris I am obsessing over, and one IB, since I have never grown them successfully in the past, but otherwise I have high hopes for the show in the spring.  I may plant color-coordinated violas between the irises for the trek.  What do you think?  Bare dirt, or a few violas, violets, and gazanias for ground cover? 

I'll be sure to post photos of any surviving plants in bloom this Spring.  And be sure to take a look at the American Iris Society website, join your local society, and plan on going on a Spring Garden Trek!

How Deep Should I Plant My Irises?

By Renee Fraser

Mixed beds with irises

Boxes full of irises are arriving in the mail, and iris lovers are unpacking their purchases and trades, planning their planting schemes, or wandering about the yard wondering "where on earth will I find space for all of these new plants? What was I THINKING?" An exciting time of the year.

People who are new to irises are also posting questions in the iris forums and on Facebook, wondering how deep to plant them.  Sometimes irises come with directions from the growers, who may be from a different part of the country, and sometimes they don't. Much discussion has resulted on some of these iris forums, with many of us repeating the advice we heard from our grandmothers:  that irises should be planted with the top of the rhizomes exposed.  I admit to dispensing this very advice myself until last year, when I learned from professional growers that the ideal planting depth does not always leave the top of the rhizome exposed, and that indeed, the rhizome should be covered by as much as two inches of soil, dependent upon the climate.

The American Iris Society website says to plant rhizomes "at or just barely below the surface of the ground.  Irises should be planted so the tops of the rhizomes are visible and the roots are spread out facing downwards in the soil.  However, in exremely hot climates or with very light soils, cover rhizomes with up to one inch of soil."

So the first thing we learn is that iris rhizomes should be protected from the sun and heat in hot climates.  In Cathey's Valley, California, Rick Tasco and Roger Duncan of Superstition Iris Gardens plant their irises with about an inch or so of soil over the rhizome to protect them from the hot California sun. 

Iris rhizome under 1" of soil at Superstition Iris Gardens, California.

Iris rhizomes at the proper depth for hot sunny climates.

The advice to protect the rhizome from the sun is also recommended in areas we would not normally consider too hot and sunny, such as Colorado.  Iris hybridizer and grower Bob Van Liere of Iris4U says "in Colorado it is recommended to plant just below soil level to keep the rhizome from sunburning. We are at 5300 feet here at our garden and most of the Colorado is above 5280 ft. We have customers planting up to about 9200 feet, a short growing season for sure."  So summer sun is something to consider when planting in high altitudes as well as the typically hot climates of places like Arizona and Southern California. 

Bob digging irises at Iris4U in Colorado.  Note the depth of the rhizomes.

Hybridizers who grow irises in very cold conditions also recommend deep planting for iris rhizomes. Chuck Chapman, a hybridizer in Ontario, Canada, experimented with planting depth several years ago, planting rhizomes half exposed, with only the top of the rhizome exposed, and a half inch, one inch, and two inches beneath the soil.  He says they all bloomed and increased, but the best growers, by a small margin, were 1/2" and 1" beneath the soil.  The worst growing rhizomes were half exposed.  Chuck is probably the most northern grower of tall bearded irises, and he notes that there is less frost heave the deeper the rhizomes are planted.  Furthermore, he says that when he contacted other growers about how they planted their irises, all planted them below the surface. 

As a final note, Chuck points out that Bob Van Liere did some research on roots, and the results of his experiments were published in Tall Talk, the periodical of the Tall Bearded Iris Society. He planted rhizomes with and without roots, and those with roots did substantially better than those without, growing "hair roots" off of the trimmed roots. Some people like the longer roots because they hold the iris up and in the ground as it gets established.

I have mixed plantings in my hot Southern California garden, and everything else needs more water than the irises. That translates into problems with rot, especially since my soil is rich and loaded with organic material that stays wet. Hot plus wet equals fungus and bacteria growth.  I lose a significant number of irises some years, particularly in small beds bordered by bricks or stone, which turn into little dutch ovens during the summer.  One trick I use to increase drainage in my mixed beds is to plant them in mounds.  I place the rhizome on a mound of soil at the same level as the surrounding earth. I cover the roots well and the rhizome by just a bit, producing a low mound above the surrounding soil level, to provide better drainage.

Leaves should be cut short enough so that the newly planted rhizome does not tip over, but not too short: about six inches for shipping, and up to ten inches if you are dividing at home. Please excuse the short leaves on this poor little rhizome that was 'accidentally' hacked off my my dear husband's grass edger. (We battle over territory like feudal lords: he tries to maintain his territory for grass, but I slowly annex it inch by inches for flowers.)

Since iris growers won't be able to put food on the table unless they are successful at what they do, I tend to favor their advice, rather than what grandma told me.  So I now plant my iris rhizomes a bit deeper. Whatever you do, though, do not plant them deep like a flower bulb!  They are not bulbs, and if the green leaves are buried they will not thrive and may die.

If you are not sure about how deep you should plant your irises in your particular climate, your local iris society may have some advice. Check here to locate a society near you. And if you have a favorite tip for planting irises, please share it in the comment section below.

And good luck finding spots for those incoming orders!

"Talking Irises" MUMFORD TALL BEARDED IRIS GARDEN - A LOVE AFFAIR

By: Susanne Holland Spicker

Forefront:  "On Edge"

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

It's loveliness increases; It never fades.

    Keats        

Nestled at the foot of the majestic Twin Peak Mountains in Willard, Utah, Neal and Dawn Mumford have their own little heaven. Their beautiful, spacious "do-it-yourself" home is situated on a 5 1/2-acre lot.  Their orchard has about 300 apple trees of 8 varieties. They also have peach, plum, and sweet cherry trees. It is the perfect setting for their (at last count) 361 tall bearded irises. The irises are on 1/2 an acre in rows 75 feet long. Neal plants 2 fans back to back so they don't grow into each other, and then plants 2 more of the same variety 36" apart in the same fashion. This gives them a nice-sized clump in 2-3 years. 

"Conjuration," (also below) "Silverado," "Edith Wolford," "Dusky Challenger" 

I met the Mumford's through our common love of irises several years ago, and have enjoyed a special friendship since. (You meet the nicest people through irises)!

Forefront:  "Elisa Renee"

Neal and Dawn's love affair started with their first date to Jr. Prom in High school. They will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary this November. Their love affair with irises started 43 years ago, with rhizome starts from Neal's mother in 1970. They have been actively collecting and trading since 1984. They have ordered exclusively from Schreiners and Cooley's, as well as traded with iris friends. Helen Larsen, a local woman known for her irises, was an influence and contributor to the Mumford iris garden. 

From top left:  "Piping Hot," "Autumn Leaves," 
from front "Crowd Pleaser," "Gigolo," "Barcelona," 
"Golden Panther," "Orangutan Orange," "Kilt Lilt"

Neal, a retired PhD in organic chemistry, and Dawn, an art major and master quilter, work as a team. Neal takes charge of the planting, fertilizing and dividing of the iris. Dawn takes care of the organization, ordering, mapping, and iris scrapbooks, which have a picture and detailed information on each iris. Her expertise in color is evident in the garden. Their bloom time is typically mid-to late May, and through the first week of June. She says they have only had three iris rebloom:

Rebloomers:  "Champagne Elegance," "Best Bet," "Clarence"

Forefront:  First year blooms of "Yaquina Blue," "Crowned Heads"

Dawn orders around 7-10 rhizomes a year. Because of the number of iris they have, they rotate the dividing and transplanting, dividing 7-9 rows a year. That way, every 3-4 years all the rows end up being transplanted. In the garden, there are rows that may be 1 year old, others are 2, 3, or sometimes 4 years old. They have found that division every 3-4 years is best for optimum iris blooms.They also have what they call their "share bed," which are rows of irises they can share with others as they come to view the iris, which ensures that those people can get the rhizomes of the irises they want.

Front left to right:  "Feature Attraction," "Aegean Wind." 
Picture shows 2nd, 1st and 3rd year iris plantings.

They share some of the things they've learned over the years of successful growing: When they divide their iris, they transplant the rhizomes with 1/4 cup of superphosphate.They flood irrigate every 8 days. Dawn says that they use a well-balanced fertilizer, used at 1/2 strength, 3 weeks before bloom, and then again 3 weeks before winter, in late fall. In their location it is best to divide and plant irises in August. Dawn says the reason for their large, healthy blooms is great location; the rocky soil provides superior drainage. The iris benefit from the nutrient-rich orchard soil as well. Neal uses a liquid pre emergent, Trifluralian 4EC, after September 13 in the fall, for grass and weed control. A spring application is also recommended. Additionally, they don't trim the foliage in summer or fall unless they are transplanting; they feel the irises do better.

Forefront:  "Sweet Musette"

"Shaft Of Gold"  

Stunning Clump of "Stairway to Heaven"

Dawn tells the story about the irises "Purple by the North Fence" and "Yellow with the Orange Beard." She said a friend who was getting older couldn't remember the names of the irises, and had named them that. After more than 25 years, they are still known by those names in the Mumford garden. Another story was the time Dawn was dividing the iris. She was trimming the fans and writing the names on them. The little girl next door ran home and told her mother that Dawn was "giving all her flowers a name."

"Yellow with the Orange Beard," and 
"Purple By The North Fence"  noids

When they moved from their home in Brigham City 8 1/2 years ago to their present home, moving the irises was no easy task. They lost some, and many others' names were lost. It has been a real job researching, and correctly naming the iris. They have made real progress, and are close to identifying them all. The hardest winter Dawn remembers is the one of 1985, where the temperatures plunged to 65 degrees below zero.  They lost 23-25 irises that year because there wasn't a blanket of snow to insulate the plants, causing the demise of the iris. Dawn is interested in finding those irises that she's lost over the years and is hoping that someone reading this article can help her in acquiring them. (See her list at the bottom of this article). 

"Dawn Glory"  (Dawn likes the name of this one!)

(From front to back) "Angelique" "Pledge Allegiance,"
 "Gold Trimmings," "Lovely Kay"

They've done nearly all the work in their lovely "do-it-yourself"  home. It features arched alcoves for iris floral arrangements, special vases collected for the arrangements, a sandblasted etched glass in the china closet with images of irises, Noritake iris china, and a watercolor print from Cooley's-- all reminders of their love affair with irises. For years Dawn hosted a luncheon for as many as 58 women during iris season, with floral arrangements throughout their home, and, of course, a tour of their colorful garden.

Dawn with "Many Thanks," a Cooley's bonus plant. 
(It ranges anywhere from 48-60",) and favorites
"Magic Man, "Beverly Sills," "Geniality," and 
"Gold Trimmings"

More Favorites: "Schortman's Garnet Ruffles,"
"Designer Gown" (Dawn loves the gilt edge),
"Pledge Allegiance," Dawn with 60-inch 
"Many Thanks" in 2009, and "Silverado"

Among Dawn's favorites: "Night Ruler," "Electrabrite," 
"Into The Night," "Honky Tonk Blues" (which Dawn 
thinks should be named "Faded Denim"), and "Gitano"

A favorite blue of Dawns:  "Sea Power"

More favorites: "Salzburg Echo," "Company Red," "Aegean Wind," "Feature Attraction," and "Kitty Kay"

Neal's favorites:  "Change Of Pace," "Well Endowed," 
"My Ginny," "Dusky Challenger," "Rose Tattoo"

From l to r: "Victoria Falls," "Jessie's Song," "Sunday Chimes"

"Art Center," "Gigolo," "Barcelona," "Machismo,"   "Piping Hot,"  "Crimson Snow," "Mulled Wine"

I have many favorites in the garden. Here are a few 
of them:

"Pink Angel," and "Launching Pad"

My favorite red that day: "Dynamite"

"Rare Quality," an excellent blue and white plicata

The garden has stunning whites, "Skier's Delight" is one of many

I love the delicate colors of "Heather Cloud"

"Play With Fire," an outstanding red

"Tarlatin," a favorite pink with wonderful lace and ruffles! 

"Prom Night," a standout in the garden for me

Among Dawn's favorite purples: "Paul Black," 
"About Town," "Night Ruler," "Aristocracy," "Hollywood Nights"

"Elisa Renee," my all-time favorite pink in the Mumford iris garden

"Private Label" photographs so well.  I had some lovely 
cards printed up from this picture.

Front to back:  "Lovely Kay," "Gold Trimmings," "Pledge Allegiance"

Forefront:  "Queen In Calico"

"Theater" always lights up the garden

I've been traveling up to the Mumford's for 
several years now around Memorial Day to 
view the spectacular show the iris put on!  
It's been interesting to see the difference in 
the blooms from year to year because of 
inconsistencies in the weather. One thing 

that is always a constant, however, is the 

warm welcome and gracious treatment I 

receive from Neal and Dawn. Seeing their 

dedication to each other and to their irises 

has been an inspiration to me--it is a love

affair that has increased over the years.  

And, of course, the iris never disappoint! 

Dawn would love to replace the iris they have 

lost over the years.  If you know where the 

Mumford's can acquire any of their lost irises, 

please leave a comment.

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