Dutch bulbous iris: planting and care, photos, reviews

Iris dutch mix is ​​a very beautiful bulbous plant that blooms in early summer. It is easy to grow a culture in a summer cottage or even urgently drive it out in a pot if you know the basic care requirements.

General description of the Dutch iris

Dutch iris, or Iris hollandica, belongs to the Iris family of the same name and is a perennial plant with an underground bulb up to 7 cm tall. Each year, one long stem up to 80 cm with smooth oblong leaves grows from the tuber.

Dutch iris flowers are also solitary, reaching 8 cm in diameter, depending on the variety, they may have red, white, blue, yellow or two-tone color. In shape, they slightly resemble orchids, consist of 6 petals, 3 of which are directed upwards, and the remaining 3 hang down.

Dutch iris is used to form bright flower beds in late spring.

Perennial flowering occurs from mid-May to mid-June, usually lasting about 14 days. After the buds wither, the underground thin roots of the iris also die off. However, the bulb of the plant remains usable, with proper processing, it accumulates useful substances in itself and again gives a peduncle for the next year.

Varieties and varieties of Dutch irises

Dutch bulbous irises are represented by dozens of hybrid varieties. According to the requirements for growing, the varieties are very similar, and the differences are in the color of the buds and in the size of the peduncles.

Blue Magic

A very beautiful variety of Dutch iris has a rich blue color of the petals, in the center of each of them there is an oblong yellow spot. In height, Blue Magic can reach 60 cm, blooms massively and profusely at the end of May.

Iris Blue Magic remains decorative until mid-June

Golden Beauty

Variety Golden Beauty gives even straight flower stalks up to 60 cm tall. Dense iris buds bloom in late May and turn into flowers with yellow petals, especially saturated in the center and lighter at the edges.

Iris Golden Beauty goes well with other light and dark varieties in mixes.

White Excelsior

Dutch iris White Excelsior blooms in early June with large and delicate snow-white buds. In the central part of the petals, a bright yellow elongated vein is noticeable. In height, the variety rises to 65 cm.

Iris White Excelsior looks especially impressive in sunny flower beds

Red Ember

Dutch iris Red Ember grows up to 60-70 cm above ground level. The color of the flowers is quite unusual, the upper petals are lilac, and the lower ones are brownish with a yellow vein. The variety blooms at the end of May.

Iris Red Amber is valued for its noble rich shade

Symphony

Symphony is considered one of the brightest and most spectacular Dutch irises. Its buds are bicolor, consisting of bright yellow and snow-white petals, the peduncle rises 65 cm above the ground. Flowering occurs in early June.

Dutch iris Symphony is distinguished by especially large buds – up to 14 cm in diameter

Application in landscape design

Although the Dutch iris mix does not bloom for very long, it is very popular in garden plots. Most often it is used:

• as part of spring flower beds;
  
  

  Irises look good in a separate flower garden and in combination with other perennials.

• in artistic compositions;
  
  

  Bright irises can be planted as a foreground against the background of conifers

• when decorating garden paths;
  
  

  Iris can be planted on the sides of the path

• on the banks of water bodies.
  
  

  Iris is suitable for planting next to a pond or stream

Dutch iris mix can be very successfully used in flowerbeds of continuous flowering. When the perennial fades, the space will not remain empty, the site will be decorated with buds of other plants.

Features of reproduction

When breeding a Dutch iris mix on a plot, it must be remembered that it is a hybrid. This means that perennials can only be grown from bulbs or rhizomes, which are usually sold in flower growers’ shops.

Seed propagation for Dutch irises mix is ​​not practiced. The method is very laborious, but most often does not give results. Plants either do not sprout, or bloom only after a few years, and varietal characteristics are not preserved.

How to plant Dutch iris

Even beginners can grow Dutch iris mix on the site. At the same time, it is important to choose the right dates and carry out preparatory work without errors.

When can I plant Dutch irises?

Perennial flower stalks receive nutrients primarily from their own tuber. Therefore, it is best to plant Dutch bulbous iris in autumn, from the end of August until the last days of October. In cold soil, the plant will survive the winter and in May will please with violent flowering.

Iris dutch mix is ​​best planted in autumn

Planting Dutch bulbous iris in the spring in April or May is also allowed. But before it, the tubers need to be kept in the cellar or refrigerator for at least 2-3 months. Then there is a chance to wait for flowering in the current season, although it will take place later than usual.

Site selection and soil preparation

Perennial irises mix love bright lighting, but do not respond well to direct sunlight. Therefore, the flower bed must be broken up on a site with light shading. Dutch irises need soil that is nutritious and loose, with a neutral to alkaline pH. The soil can be mixed in equal proportions with compost.

Before planting flowers in the selected area, they dig the required number of holes about 20 cm deep and pour a little sand on their bottom, about a third. The distance between the pits should be 10-12 cm, otherwise the Dutch irises mix will interfere with each other.

Planting Dutch Bulb Iris

The algorithm for planting a Dutch bulbous iris mix looks like this:

1. Before planting, the tubers are disinfected by placing them in a manganese solution for several hours. This will make the material more resistant to diseases.
2. The prepared bulbs are lowered into the planting holes and watered abundantly, and then sprinkled with sand and soil on top.
3. If the landing of the Dutch iris mix is ​​carried out in the fall, then the flower bed must be mulched with foliage or pebbles to warm the tubers.

When planting in spring, mulch is not used, it will only interfere with the germination of flower stalks.

Sprouted Dutch irises mix in the spring do not fall asleep to the end, the shoots should protrude above the ground

Caring for Dutch Iris after planting

Caring for Dutch iris mix comes down to just a few simple manipulations:

1. After planting, perennials are regularly watered, preventing the soil from drying out. It is necessary to moisten the flower bed, including in the fall, especially if the weather is dry, because the rooting of the iris mix consumes a lot of nutrients. Watering should be continued throughout the entire active period, until the buds wither.
2. In the spring, the Dutch iris mix is ​​fed three times – with nitrogen fertilizers at the beginning of the growing season, potassium and phosphorus during budding and after flowering.
3. As soon as the perennial fades, watering will need to be stopped immediately. At this stage, the bulbs need a dry dormancy, otherwise they may rot in the soil.

To make irises mix bloom longer, they need to be watered abundantly and protected from the sun.

Mixed irises with cut flower stalks are left in the flower bed until their leaves begin to turn yellow and wither. Further, the bulbs can be immediately dug up, it is not necessary to wait for the aerial part to dry completely. Theoretically, in a dry summer, tubers can not be removed at all, but more often they do it, because even in the absence of rain, the soil at a depth can remain wet.

Bulb storage rules

After removing the iris bulbs from the flower bed, the mix must be shaken off the remnants of the earth and disinfected in a manganese solution or Fundazol. Then for 2-3 weeks they are sent to dry at 20-25 ° C with good ventilation.

Dutch iris bulbs are removed from the soil to dry immediately after flowering.

Dried bulbs need to be sorted out, damaged and rotten material thrown away. Healthy tubers are stored in a dark place with a temperature of 15 to 20 ° C. In such conditions, Dutch irises should spend the rest of the summer. In autumn, they can be planted again in the ground or sent to artificial home stratification.

Distillation of the Dutch iris by March 8

If desired, the Dutch iris mix can be made to bloom in early March, for International Women’s Day. Bulbous perennial suitable for urgent forcing in greenhouses or at home in pots:

1. At the beginning of summer, iris bulbs are dug out of the flower bed and stored for a month at temperatures up to 30 ° C, and then another month at 20 ° C.
2. Then the tubers intended for distillation are transferred to a dark and cold place with a temperature of no more than 10 ° C.
3. Around December 25, the bulbs are planted in a greenhouse, boxes or pots and provided with a temperature of 12 ° C, and after a couple of weeks they raise it to 16 ° C.

Iris dutch mix suitable for urgent forcing by March 8

If you create moderately warm conditions for the Dutch iris mix and provide it with a daylight hours of at least 14 hours, then 2,5 months after planting, the plant will begin to bloom.

Diseases and pests

Although Dutch irises mix remain in the soil only until the beginning of summer, insects and fungi can damage them even in such a short time. Of the diseases, the greatest danger to the culture is:

• fuzarioz – you can recognize the disease by a grayish coating on the leaves and growth retardation;
  
  

  When infected with Fusarium, the Dutch iris can rarely be saved, it is easier to remove it from the flower bed

• wet rot – the fungus develops in early spring during the period of snow melting and leads to rotting of the bulbs;
  
  

  Wet rot especially often affects irises mix when waterlogged.

• rust, the disease leaves ugly brown-brown spots on the leaves of the perennial;
  
  

  Rust stains iris leaves in spring at a temperature of + 10 ° C

Fungal diseases are very dangerous for Dutch irises mix, as they are difficult to treat. The infected bulb quickly begins to rot, and the perennial dies completely. When the first signs appear, the flower bed can be treated with Maxim, Topaz, Doxycycline and Triazole. However, it is better to deal with fungi prophylactically and soak the bulbs in a fungicidal solution before planting.

Of the insects, Dutch iris is most often harmed by:

• scoop butterflies – their caterpillars eat out iris flower stalks from the inside;
  
  

  Scoopworm caterpillars begin to feed on Dutch iris in mid-June

• thrips – pests suck juices not only from leaves, but also from rhizomes;
  
  

  Thrips usually hide in the axils of iris leaves.

• aphid – the insect eats the plant and also secretes mucus that is harmful to the perennial.
  
  

  Aphids breed on iris in huge colonies and can kill the plant.

To eliminate pests, a solution of Karbofos or Aktellik is used. You can prophylactically protect the flower bed from insects if you regularly loosen the soil, prevent waterlogging and get rid of weeds.

Conclusion

Iris dutch mix is ​​a spectacular and easy-to-grow flower. You can achieve maximum decorativeness if you remember the need for stratification for bulbous plants and follow the basic rules of care.

Dutch Iris Reviews