Bulbous iris: varieties with photos, names and descriptions, planting and care

Bulbous irises are low perennial plants with very beautiful flowers that appear in mid-spring. They decorate the garden well in combination with different flowers, mainly primroses. When growing, special attention should be paid to the characteristics of the bulbous iris variety: if it is winter-hardy, you do not need to dig up the bulb for the winter. In other cases, it is taken out of the ground and stored in the refrigerator.

General description of bulbous irises

Depending on the type of root system, there are two groups of irises:

1. Bulbous.
2. Rhizomatous.

In both cases, the plant does not have roots as such: both the bulb and the rhizomes are thickened shoots.

Bulbous irises are low-growing perennial primrose plants. They begin to bloom profusely from the end of April until the last days of June (in the southern regions - even from the end of March). Moreover, the shape of the flowers partly resembles an orchid. They can be one-tone or two-tone in color. Various shades:

• white;
• cream;
• violet;
• blue;
• blue;
• yellow.

The difference between bulbous and rhizomatous irises is associated with the structural features of the roots

What do iris bulbs look like?

The iris bulb is a shortened shoot, shaped like a kidney. If you make a vertical cut, you can see the flower arrow in its embryonic state. Around it, in layers (like onions), there are leaf buds. They accumulate nutrients and ensure plant development and rapid growth of green mass.

Axillary and central buds can be seen between the embryos. The last layer is scales, which act as a cover. The width is not very large - 20-35 mm.

Iris planting material resembles onion sets

Varieties and varieties of bulbous irises

There are several hundred varieties of bulbous irises; about 60 varieties are grown in Russia. The most common are 3 types - Juno, Iridodictium and Xyphium.

Juno

The species Juno unites about 50 different varieties of bulbous irises. The following varieties are particularly attractive:

1. Juno Caucasian - a small, compact flower (25 cm high), growing from a flat, small bulb. The flowers are light yellow, asymmetrical, and appear at the end of March. The diameter of the flowers is 5-7 cm.
   
2. Foster's Juno - another compact bulbous iris, 15-20 cm high. It produces several shoots, each of which blooms with up to 4 flowers. A very interesting and quite rare variety. Flowers of unusual two-color color: violet-yellow.
   
3. Juno Warilean produces relatively high shoots up to 30 cm with light green leaves (other representatives of the species have dark leaves). The flowers are purple, of different shades - both light and rich.
   

Purple flowers harmonize beautifully with light green leaves

Iridodictium

This is a bulbous iris, also called reticulated. It blooms for two to three weeks, mainly in late April and early May. It is distinguished by a rich variety of colors - from single-color to two-color, with stripes, spots and other patterns.

Bulbous iris (pictured) produces small flowers (5-6 cm in diameter) of blue color.

Reticulate iris Iridodictium grows up to 15 cm in height

Among the varieties of Iridodictium there are the following varieties of bulbous irises:

1. Cantab – light blue flowers, peduncle height up to 20 cm. The variety is frost-resistant, flowering begins in early April (at the same time as snowdrops) and continues until the end of the month.
   
   

   Cantab is a bulbous iris that produces beautiful sky blue flowers.

2. Harmony and Joyce – bloom immediately after the snow melts. The peduncle is low - up to 10-11 cm, sometimes up to 20 cm. The petals are painted in shades of blue and light blue. The variety is characterized by high winter hardiness, which allows it to be grown in different regions of Russia.Quite demanding on soil fertility and structure.
   
   

   Iris Harmony produces darker flowers (left) and Iris Joyce produces lighter flowers (right).

3. Alida - another frost-resistant iris that produces beautiful blue-blue flowers with a yellow pattern. In the southern regions it begins to bloom at the end of March. It reproduces well. Despite its small height (10-15 cm), it has fairly large flowers up to 8-9 cm in diameter.
   
   

   Flowers attract attention with soft blue shades and beautiful patterns.

Xifium

Xyphium, according to various sources, either refers to the irises itself, or is a related plant. The flowers have pastel colors with a combination of several colors - blue, purple, yellow, light. The flowers are very attractive, appear in May and June, but only last a week.

A beautiful yellow pattern is visible on the flowers of Xyphium, contrasting against a soft blue background

There are 6 varieties of this bulbous iris. The most popular of which are:

1. Xyphium filamentifolia - a rather tall plant (up to 45 cm) with purple flowers. The diameter of the flowers is 7-9 cm.
   
2. Xyphium ruminaceae grows from a large bulb, reaches a height of 30 cm. It blooms mainly in late April - early May, less often - in early June.
   
   

   The flowers of Xyphium ruminaceae are bright yellow in color, so they are clearly visible from all sides of the flower garden.

3. Xyphium latifolia – a very tall (for irises) variety, growing up to 45-50 cm in height. It blooms profusely, produces 2-3 flowers with a diameter of 6-7 cm.
   
   

   Several irises planted side by side form a beautiful flower carpet

Application in landscape design

In order for bulbous irises to fit into the garden, you need to pay attention to several important points:

1. A color combination, for example, yellow and blue, always looks attractive.
2. Tiering - irises are medium in size, so they can be combined with both taller and shorter plants.
3. Flowering period - almost all onion irises are primroses, so it is appropriate to combine them with snowdrops, crocuses, hyacinths, eranthis, daffodils, tulips and others.

As for the planting location, you can decorate any corner of the garden with irises - in ridges, flower beds, mixborders and other compositions.

A simple but very harmonious combination of yellow and blue

Irises in bright colors also look good in single plantings

Different varieties of irises go well together

Multi-tiered flower arrangements along the path

Methods for propagating bulbous irises

These plants reproduce by bulbs. After 2-3 years they produce large nests containing both large and small bulbs. The bush needs to be dug up in early or mid-summer and sorted:

• large ones must be dried in the sun and stored until autumn in a dark, cool room, then planted;
• small ones should be planted immediately in a new place: they will quickly take root, but the first flowers will appear only after 2-3 years.

Iris can be grown from both bulbs and seeds. They are planted as seedlings as early as February, and the seedlings grow well under normal indoor conditions.

Rules for planting bulbous irises

Even a novice gardener can grow iris from a bulb. At the same time, it is important not only to choose the right place and prepare the soil, but also to determine the timing.

When to plant bulbous irises in open ground

The period depends on the climatic characteristics of the region.In any case, it is optimal to plant bulbous irises in late summer or autumn:

1. In the Moscow region and other regions of the central zone they are planted at the end of August or at the beginning of September.
2. In the south, irises can be planted in the second half of October.
3. In Siberia and the Urals, the optimal time is the second half of August.

In some cases (for example, planting material was purchased in advance), planting irises with bulbs in the spring is allowed. But in this case, you first need to keep them in the refrigerator for several weeks before transferring them to open ground (late April - early May).

To prevent the bulbs from starting to grow ahead of time, they are kept on an insulated balcony

Site selection and soil preparation

Irises love light very much, so the place should be open, without shade. It is good if it is located on a small hill and in shelter from drafts, for example, not far from a house, a fence, powerful bushes and trees (they should not cast a large shadow). Flowers prefer light, fairly fertile soil with a neutral reaction. If the soil is depleted, fertilizers must be added to the planting hole.

How to plant bulbous irises

First, the bulbs need to be kept for several hours in a special pickling agent or in a weak 1% solution of potassium permanganate. The landing algorithm is as follows:

1. Clear and dig up the area.
2. Form planting holes of shallow depth up to 8 cm (3 times greater than the height of the bulb) at a distance of 10 cm from each other (3 times greater than the diameter of the bulb).
3. Lay a small layer of drainage - small stones, pebbles, expanded clay.
4. Cover with pre-prepared fertile soil (you can add superphosphates and potassium salt).
5. Root the seedlings
6. Water generously.

How to grow irises from bulbs

Growing and caring for bulbous irises is not very difficult. Like other flowering plants, it is important for them to provide regular watering and fertilizing.

Watering and fertilizing

Bulbous irises like regular but moderate watering. If there is precipitation, additional moisture is not needed. And if there is a drought, water should be given 1-2 times a week. After flowering, there is no need to water the crop.

For lush flowering, the plant must be fed:

1. The first time nitrogen fertilizer is applied immediately after removing the covering material.
2. At the stage of bud formation, potassium salt and superphosphates are given.
3. Immediately after flowering ends, you need to repeat fertilizing with potassium and phosphorus.

After this, you don’t need to add anything - the irises will no longer bloom, and then the seedling needs to prepare for a dormant period.

Trimming

The first pruning is done at the end of spring.

All fading flowers must be cut off

If this is not done, the bulbous iris may suffer from some infections. Dying inflorescences continue to take away some of the nutrients and interfere with other flowers.

The second pruning should be done in September or October, 2 weeks before the first frost. To do this, the leaves are cut in half (15 cm should remain from the ground) and burned. Then sprinkle with earth.

Preparing for winter

If the variety is winter-hardy (for example, bulbous iris Cantab or Alida), there is no need to cover it with anything for the winter.All you have to do is trim. If the species does not have good winter hardiness, it is covered with a layer of dry leaves, spruce branches, and covered with spunbond on top. There is no need to clog it too much - otherwise the bulb will begin to rot and may rot.

Do I need to dig up bulbous irises for the winter?

The answer to this question depends on the characteristics of the variety and the climate of the region:

1. If the winter is warm enough and snowy (southern regions), there is no need to dig up the bulbs - it is enough to mulch them with branches, leaves and spruce branches.
2. If the winter is frosty (North-West, Urals, Siberia), the bulbs must be dug up and stored in a dry, cool room.

In the regions of the middle zone, they focus on the characteristics of the variety - if it is winter-hardy, it is not necessary to dig it up. However, if the autumn was too rainy, it is better to remove the iris bulbs and store them until next season in more favorable conditions.

How to dig up bulbous irises

Digging up iris bulbs requires following certain rules. The instructions are as follows:

1. The bulbs are carefully dug up and cleaned of soil residues.
2. Rinse thoroughly under the tap.
3. Store for a month in a dark place at room temperature (for drying).
4. Place in a container (lid with holes), sprinkle with sawdust or sand and peat, and put in the refrigerator.

Storing iris bulbs

Store the bulbs in a dry, dark place at a temperature of 3-8 degrees Celsius. For this use:

• fridge;
• cellar;
• insulated balcony;
• loggia.

The main condition for storing bulbous irises is to prevent moisture from appearing. Therefore, it is advisable to store them in the refrigerator separately from liquids and food.

Before storing, iris bulbs are thoroughly dried in the sun or at home.

What to do if the bulbous iris sprouted in the fall

In this case, the bulb must be covered with peat, sand or sawdust as quickly as possible and placed in the refrigerator or in another dark, cool place. But this is not always possible, so the sprouted iris bulb can be planted in a flower pot and grown as a houseplant. If this option is not suitable, and the bulb continues to grow actively, you will have to part with it. If storage conditions are observed, such cases, fortunately, are rare.

Forcing bulbous irises at home

Forcing is the deliberate acceleration of flower growth so that the plant quickly gains green mass and the appearance of the first flowers. In the case of onion irises, the procedure begins with preparing the bulbs themselves. After digging, they are stored at a special temperature:

1. During the first month 30-35 degrees.
2. The next 1.5 months – 15-20 degrees.
3. Then within 2-3 weeks the temperature is reduced to 10 degrees.

Bulbs should be planted 2-2.5 months before the desired flowering time. They begin to be grown in a greenhouse at a comfortable temperature of 10-12 degrees. Then it is gradually increased to 18 degrees. Constantly illuminate with a phytolamp so that the daylight hours are at least 14 hours. To accelerate growth (if necessary), the indicator is increased to 16-18 hours.

Diseases and pests

Bulbous irises can suffer from fungal diseases. Most often identified:

• septoria;
• fusarium;
• rust;
• heterosporiosis and others.

To prevent this from happening, in the spring they should be treated with any fungicide, for example, Quadris, Fundazol, Fitosporin. Repeated treatments are not necessary - they will only be needed when signs of the disease appear. Also, as a preventive measure, bulbous irises are intensively fed with a mixture of superphosphate and potassium salt.

Among insects, cutworms, thrips and borers cause particular harm. They can be destroyed using an insecticide. Karbofos, Aktara, Decis, Karate and others are suitable for processing bulbous irises. Infestations of slugs are also common. In this case, stone chips or crushed eggshells are scattered next to the flower bed.

Conclusion

Bulbous irises are one of the first to delight with beautiful flowers. In many regions of Russia, bulbs have to be dug up and stored at home. In the middle zone and in the south it is not necessary to do this. Caring for these flowers is not very difficult, so even a novice amateur can handle it if desired.

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