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

Bulbous irises are low perennial plants with very beautiful flowers that appear already in mid-spring. They decorate the garden well in combination with different flowers, mainly also primroses. When growing, special attention should be paid to the characteristics of the bulbous iris variety: if it is winter-hardy, you can not 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, two groups of irises are distinguished:

1. Bulbous.
2. Rhizome.

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

Bulbous irises are low perennial primroses. 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). At the same time, the flowers in shape partly resemble an orchid. They can have a single or two-tone color. Variety of shades:

• white;
• cream;
• purple;
• 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 bulb of irises is a short 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) are the rudiments of leaves. They accumulate nutrients and ensure the development of the plant and a quick set of green mass.

Axillary and central buds can be seen between the embryos. The last layer is scales that play the role of a cover. The width is not very large – 20-35 mm.

Iris planting material resembles onion sets

Varieties and varieties of bulbous irises

Bulbous irises number several hundred varieties, about 60 varieties are grown in Our Country. The most common are 3 species – Juno, Iridodictium and Xifium.

Juno

View Juno combines 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, appear already at the end of March. Flowers diameter 5-7 cm.

   

2. Juno Foster – another compact bulbous iris 15-20 cm high. It gives several shoots, each of which blooms up to 4 flowers. Very interesting and quite rare variety. Flowers of an unusual two-tone color: purple-yellow.

   

3. Juno Vorileiskaya gives relatively high shoots up to 30 cm with light green leaves (in other representatives of the species they are dark). The flowers are purple, of different shades – both light and saturated.

   

Violet flowers harmonize beautifully with light green leaves.

Iridodicium

This is a bulbous iris, which is also called net. Blooms for two to three weeks, mostly in late April and early May. It is distinguished by a rich variety of colors – from one-color to two-tone, with stripes, spots and other patterns.

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

Reticulated iris Iridodictium grows up to 15 cm in height

Among the varieties of Iridodictium, there are such 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 (simultaneously with 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 blue. The variety is characterized by high winter hardiness, which allows it to be grown in different regions of Our Country. Quite demanding on fertility and soil structure.
   
   

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

3. But yes – Another frost-resistant iris, which gives beautiful flowers of blue-blue color 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 rather large flowers up to 8-9 cm in diameter.
   
   

   Flowers attract attention with soft blue shades and a beautiful pattern.

Xifium

Xifium, according to various sources, either belongs to the irises proper, or is a related plant. Flowers have pastel colors with a combination of several colors – blue, purple, yellow, light. The flowers are very attractive, appearing in May and June, but only last a week.

On the flowers of Xifium, a beautiful yellow pattern is noticeable, contrasting against a pale blue background.

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

1. Xyphium filamentous – a rather tall plant (up to 45 cm) with purple flowers. The diameter of the flowers is 7-9 cm.

   

2. Xyphium sitnikovidny grows from a large bulb, reaches a height of 30 cm. It blooms mainly in late April – early May, less often – in early June.
   
   

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

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

   Several irises planted side by side form a beautiful floral 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. The color combination, for example, yellow and blue, always looks attractive.
2. Layering – irises are medium in size, so they can be combined with both taller and stunted plants.
3. Flowering time – almost all onion irises are primroses, so it is appropriate to combine them with snowdrops, crocuses, hyacinths, erantis, daffodils, tulips and others.

As for the landing site, you can decorate any corner of the garden with irises – in discounts, flower beds, mixborders and other compositions.

A simple but very harmonious combination of yellow and blue

Irises of bright colors look good in single plantings.

Different varieties of irises go well with each other

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 at the beginning or middle of summer and sorted out:

• 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 give only after 2-3 years.

Iris can be grown with both bulbs and seeds. They are planted for seedlings already in February, and the seedlings grow well in normal room conditions.

Rules for planting bulbous irises

A novice florist can also grow an 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 outdoors

The term depends on the climatic features 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 middle lane, 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 bought in advance), it is allowed to plant irises with bulbs in the spring. But in this case, you must first keep them in the refrigerator for several weeks, before transferring them to open ground (late April – early May).

So that the bulbs do not start growing ahead of time, they are kept on an insulated balcony

Site selection and soil preparation

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

How to plant bulbous irises

Beforehand, the bulbs need to be held 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 the area.
2. Form planting holes of shallow depth up to 8 cm (3 times more than the height of the bulb) at a distance of 10 cm from each other (3 times more than the diameter of the bulb).
3. Lay a small layer of drainage – small stones, pebbles, expanded clay.
4. Fill with pre-prepared fertile soil (superphosphates and potassium salt can be added).
5. Root seedlings
6. Liberally pour.

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 ensure regular watering and fertilizing.

Watering and top dressing

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, watering the culture is not necessary.

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 the end of flowering, you need to repeat the feeding with potassium and phosphorus.

After that, you don’t need to make 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

If this is not done, the bulbous iris may suffer from any infections. Dying inflorescences continue to take 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 (should remain 15 cm from the ground) and burned. Then sprinkled with earth.

Preparation for winter

If the variety is winter-hardy (for example, bulbous iris Kantab or Alida), there is no need to cover it for the winter. It is enough just to make a cut. 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. It is not necessary to clog strongly – otherwise the bulb will begin to rot and may rot.

Do I need to dig 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), it is not necessary to dig out the bulbs – it is enough to mulch them with branches, foliage and spruce branches.
2. If the winter is frosty (North-West, Ural, Siberia), the bulbs must be dug up and stored in a dry, cool room.

In the regions of the middle lane, they are guided by the characteristics of the variety – if it is winter-hardy, it is not necessary to dig it out. However, if the autumn turned out to be too rainy, it is better to remove the iris bulbs and store them until the next season in more favorable conditions.

How to dig bulbous irises

Digging up iris bulbs requires following certain rules. The instruction is as follows:

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

Storage of iris bulbs

Bulbs are stored 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 the appearance of moisture. Therefore, it is advisable to store them in the refrigerator separately from liquids and food.

Before storage, iris bulbs are carefully dried in the sun or at home.

What to do if the bulbous iris rose in the fall

In this case, the bulb should be covered with peat, sand or sawdust as soon as possible and put in the refrigerator or in another dark, cool place. But such an opportunity is not always available, so the ascended 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. Under proper storage conditions, such cases, fortunately, are rare.

Distillation of bulbous irises at home

Forcing is the deliberate acceleration of flower growth so that the plant quickly gains green mass and the first flowers appear. In the case of onion irises, the procedure begins with the preparation of 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 grow in a greenhouse at a comfortable temperature of 10-12 degrees. Then it is gradually increased to 18 degrees. Constantly illuminated 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 found:

• septoria;
• fusariosis;
• 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 optional – they will be needed only when signs of the disease appear. Also, as a preventive measure, bulbous irises are heavily fed with a mixture of superphosphate and potassium salt.

Among insects, scoops, thrips and borers cause particular harm. You can destroy them with an insecticide. Karbofos, Aktara, Decis, Karate and others are suitable for processing bulbous irises. Slug infestations are also common. In this case, stone chips or crushed eggshells are scattered next to the flower garden.

Conclusion

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