Confessions of an iris fancier Print E-mail
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Caring for irises

Irises need relatively little care. A light application of fertiliser or bone-meal in early spring and again a month or so after flowering, plus watering every few weeks in really dry weather, will keep them thriving: the only other regular job is weed control. In the first couple of years hoeing the areas between the clumps, particularly in spring, will reduce weed competition. The weeds and grass that inevitably grow right next to the fans must be removed carefully with a draw-hoe or by hand. When clumps have become established the older rhizomes make hoeing very difficult: hand-weeding is then the only option.

After flowering the flower stalks should be cut or carefully broken off as low as possible - do not remove any foliage.

In late autumn the tips of the fans will start to go brown. There is clearly disagreement between iris experts as to whether the fans should be cut back to a lowish level, or just the dead part should be trimmed off. Having tried both I am (so far) unable to detect any deleterious effects, but the former method is a little easier and looks neater over the winter.

After three or four years (depending on how close they were planted) the clumps will need dividing: left any longer the rhizomes will crowd into (and over) each other and flowering will be inhibited. Thinning should ideally be carried out in the same period as normal planting, September-October, provided that the soil is not too dry, which for us is often a problem.

There are two main ways to divide irises: The first involves carefully digging up the clumps, trimming off the older part of the rhizomes (leaving the growth of last year or so) and replanting. Better in the long-term, this gives a clean start and enables the bed to be dug over, to control perennial weeds and to add fresh soil or compost before replanting.

However, more work is involved and flowering will be reduced in the next season while the clumps re-establish themselves. Be careful to label clumps of each variety during flowering (differently coloured plastic ties are useful) and make diagrams and/or take photos of the bed so that no treasured varieties are inadvertently lost - all irises look the same in autumn.

The second method involves using a sharp spade to cut out the gnarled old rhizomes from the middle of the clump (often they will need to be levered out with a hand fork). Only the most overcrowded fans are then dug up and divided. Although less satisfactory in the long-term, this does not reduce flowering in the following year to the same extent.

A book for iris lovers everywhere

In his beautifully produced and illustrated volume, self-confessed 'complete convert' James Parry describes 33 of his favourite irises. The book features a full-page photograph of each variety, with a description of the features and some of the history of each variety on the facing page. Parry's selection is wide-ranging, from 'Florentina', a delicate white iris known since at least the 16th century, to 'Langport Wren', a fascinating, near-black iris first registered as late as 1995.

It was interesting to find at least a couple that feature in our own collection, not least the (in)famous 'Provençale'. The introduction I found fascinating. Irises have long attracted artists - the earliest known representation of them was in the Palace of Knossos on Crete around 4,000 years ago. In more recent times Monet was one of the flower's most famous admirers, although it was Van Gogh's painting of irises in the garden of his asylum that set a record sale price for a painting in 1987.

I hadn't realised that the iris is the origin of the stylised fleur-de-lys, nor of the plant's very wide range of culinary and medicinal uses - and the very unfortunate effects of an overdose.
Parry includes the history of the iris as a garden plant, but not surprisingly for a slim volume, there is no room to cover planting and care (although a list of suppliers is provided). Nevertheless it is a delightful book that would make an ideal present for anyone interested in plants and flowers.

Irises (in the National Trust 'Gardens by Design' series) is available from National Trust shops, good bookshops or by tel: 01394 389 950. You can order it online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/shopping

Further information

Woottens of Wenhaston in Suffolk - visit www.woottensplants.co.uk or tel: 01502 478258. Woottens publish a delightful catalogue and deliver irises from July to April.

In France, Cayeux are the best-known specialists and will supply to the UK - www.plantes-et-jardins.com/fournisseurs/6.asp

Alec H. Evans is a Chartered Surveyor who lives in south-western France.

All photos by Alec Evans.
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