By Hooker Nichols
One of the most delightful classes of
bearded iris one can grow is that particular group of iris known as the
standard dwarf bearded. These wonderful
smaller iris range 8 to 16 inches in height.
They bloom after the peak season of miniature dwarf bearded iris and
before the peak season of the intermediate bearded iris.
Hooker Nichol's 'Amazon Princess'--image by Igor Khorosh
Most generally as a group, these delightful
iris are rapid increasers and the clumps give the appearance of mounds of
flowers. They possess the color range
found in the other bearded classes.
Bloom is determined by the amount of cold weather experienced during the
winter season. Here in Texas, we
experienced 334 frost free growing days in 2017 and spring bloom was very
limited. On the flip side of the coin,
abundant rainfall during the spring and early summer resulted in very good
rebloom from those possessing reblooming traits.
'Bright Blue Eyes' (M. Sutton)--image by Mike Sutton
This group of iris are easy to hybridize
and generally the seeds germinate very well.
One can get nearly 100 percent bloom the spring following the
germination. They make excellent border
plants, but generally must be transplanted every three years.
'Open Your Eyes' (Paul Black)--image from Mid America Iris Gardens
Standard dwarf bearded irises do well in
most regions of the country and are well liked overseas. I encourage you to plant a few to begin and
extend your bloom season.
'Eye of the Tiger' (Paul Black)--image by Chuck Chapman
Editor's Note: The top award in this class is the Cook Douglas Medal. All images in this blog have won that award.
'Ultimate' (Thomas Johnson)--image by Brock Heilman
