Flowering Bulbs The Iris

You want to do all this preparation of the soil about three weeks before planting the iris. The fertilizer and organic matter needs to be worked into the soil well. Using peat moss, manure, or compost increases the organic matter in the soil.

Before planting iris bulbs you will need to condition the soil with the use of slow release low nitrogen fertilizer. It is best to leave about a foot surrounding the iris for growth. They can grow to roughly three feet tall and over the years will spread out through their root system. This sunny area of the garden needs to be large enough for the iris to spread out and grow. Iris will need to have at least six hours of full sunlight daily.

These irises are usually smaller in stature and have smaller blooms. The bulbous iris which grow from bulbs need to have a dormant period after blossoming. Three of the popular iris rhizomes are the Bearded, Beardless and the Crested. After planting they produce their sword-like leaves that will eventually overlap and form fan-like foliage.

The rhizomes have thicker stems that will grow horizontally or partially underground. Irises are grouped into two categories, the bulbous and the rhizome.

Iris Species and Care

Ideally, you should plant your Iris in the shade since it can be harmed by strong direct sunlight. Many Iris species appreciate regions where the nights are cool and the days hot. Since Iris can survive even in dry regions, they are very popular in California and Florida. When water is more abundant, the Iris will instead spread via rhizomes.

If the climate is very dry and water is scarce, the will Iris will form bulbs. Iris flowers growing in warm regions can grow throughout the year, while Iris flowers in colder regions will grow and flower only during the summer. If you care for your planted Iris, you can enjoy it for many years to come since it is a perennial flower. Sometimes similarly looking showy flowering species from related genera is also called Iris flowers.

The term Iris in not only used to describe the genus, it is also the common name for the comprised species. The name Iris is derived from the Latin name for rainbow, since Iris flowers exists in an abundance of color variations. The various Iris species have showy and beautiful flowers which make them popular in gardens and in floral arrangements. Iris is the name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Iridaceae.

The Iris Flower

Even though it is used in some medicines, a part of the iris is They are ingredients in some perfumes, homemade toothpaste, pottery and herbal medicines. After harvesting, the rhizomes are known be used for teething babies. As a live plant they are used as a water purifier.

Not only is the iris a beautiful flower, but also they have several uses. A couple more paintings are dated back to the 1400 and 1500's, but the actual artists are unknown. Claude Oscar Monet painted "Iris" sometime between 1914 and 1917. From 1888 to 1890, Vincent van Gogh painted at least four paintings of irises. There are several famous paintings of the flowers.

The iris has been around for many centuries, and many artists have chosen to paint them. The majority of irises that we see today are hybrids of the originals. However, most irises are shades of blue or purple. In fact, the name iris is Greek and it means rainbow for its many colors. The iris flower is available in a variety of colors and every year it seems that more colors are available.

The upper petals of the blooms are called standards and the lower petals are called falls. Some of the varieties include Japanese, German, Siberian, and Dutch irises. Irises can be either rhizomes or bulbs. Many people call the plant flags because its leaves grow in the shape of a paper fan.

The family is iridaceous. Its common and genus names are both iris. Irises are found all around the world except in extremely cold regions.