German Bearded Iris
Iris X germanica hybrid (IRIDACEAE)
Planting and Growing German Bearded Iris
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow German bearded iris in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of German bearded iris
- Season of bloom and planting time for German bearded iris
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for German bearded iris
- When, how deep, and where to plant German bearded iris
- How to plant German bearded iris
- Watering, fertilizing, care and pests or diseases of German bearded iris
- Landscape and indoor uses of German bearded iris
- Comments about German bearded iris and its features
Growing German Bearded Iris
Summer rhizome. Single, widely cultivated, sterile hybrid of Iris pallida and Iris variegata. Deciduous. Stands to 30 in. (75 cm) tall. Narrow, strap- or swordlike, upright or arching, long midgreen leaves.
Many other hybrid irises are also improperly labeled as Iris germanica, but the name applies only to this specific hybrid.
German Bearded Iris Planting and Care Guide
Flowers
Summer or repeat blooming in spring and autumn, depending on hybrid. Nearly all colors, bicolored, blends. Multiple fleur-de-lis-shaped flowers, to 3 in. (75 mm) wide, with 3 upright and 3 nodding petals bearing drooping bearded falls, on succulent stalks.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 4–10; ground hardy, zones 6–10.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained humus. Fertility: Average. 6.0–7.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Autumn in full sun to partial shade, zones 8–10; late summer, zones 4–7. Space 1–2 ft. (30–60 cm) apart, 2–4 in. (50–100 mm) deep, or cluster odd number of plants 6 in. (15 cm) apart for massed color.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist during growth; reduce watering after flower stalks dry. Fertilize in spring. Mulch. Propagate by division in summer, seed in spring.
Lifting and Storing
Dark, 40–50°F (4–10°C), in net bag or open basket of dry peat moss.
About This Species
Good choice for edgings, foregrounds, massed plantings in shade gardens. Good for cutting. Deer, rodent and iris borer susceptible.
Iris Divisions and Categories
The horticultural classification of iris is complex and has been subject to many changes over time.
In general, irises separate into:
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- Rhizomes, subgenus Iris;
- True bulbs, subgenera Xiphium or Scorpiris; and
- a single-species subgenus with pseudo-rhizomatous roots, Nepalenses.
The first two of these divisions contain most popular cultivated irises. A current listing of official categories may be obtained from the American Iris Society.
Rhizomatous Iris:
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- Bearded Iris: (Iris X germanica).
- Beardless Iris:
- Japanese (Iris ensata);
- Louisiana: (Iris brevicaulis, Iris fulva, Iris giganticaerulea, Iris hexagona, Iris pseudacorus);
- Pacific: (Iris douglasiana, Iris innominata, Iris versicolor);
- Siberian: (Iris sanguinea, Iris siberica);
- Spuria: (Iris chrysographes, Iris clarkei, Iris delavayi, Iris dykesii, Iris forrestii, Iris wilsonii).
- Crested Iris: (Iris confusa, Iris cristata, Iris japonica, Iris tectorum, Iris wattii).
Bulb Iris:
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- Reticulata Iris: (Iris danfordiae, Iris histrio, Iris histrioides, Iris reticulata).
- Juno Iris: (Iris albomarginata, Iris aucheri, Iris bucharica, Iris caucasica, Iris fosterana).
- Dutch and Spanish Iris: (Iris X tigitana, Iris xiphium).
- English Iris: (Iris latifolia, Iris xiphiodes).
About Iris
Iris are related to perennial plants of more than 60 other genera.
Different species have bulbous, cormous, or rhizomatous roots. Dozens of new iris cultivars are produced each year, in addition to heritage plants and garden favorites.
All irises have grasslike or swordlike, deep green leaves, many in flat and fan-shaped, opposite habits. They bloom from late spring to early summer. While many species and cultivars are hardy, others are semi-hardy or tender.
The Iris’ distinctive, often fleur-de-lis-shaped flowers comprise drooping outer sepals or falls, inner upright petals or standards, and narrow, central petals called style-branches.
Use irises for edgings, foreground plantings in beds and borders, and featured massed plantings, or plant them in pots and along the shorelines of water features.
It’s best to try a small planting of 10 to 20 rhizomes in a single spot—to gauge how they will perform in your garden and climate or microclimate—before replacing reliable plants grown in prior seasons.
Irises, especially flag irises, make excellent cut flowers. Water the plants well the evening before, and choose partially opened spikes. Immerse the cut stems in cool water immediately after cutting, then trim them again underwater prior to arranging.
Choose from among the popularly cultivated categories of Iris above.
Planting and Caring for Iris
Plant rhizomatous irises in late summer or autumn, bulbous irises in autumn. A sunny spot is best, but most tolerate filtered, partial sun.
Most irises perform best in moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil, and some are semi-aquatic plants that grow well in wet soil.
Those residing in U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 4–9, should leave most iris cultivars in the ground until plantings become crowded after several years. Divide them by cutting the rhizomes or separating offsets in late summer and replant them.
Gardeners living in cold-winter climates should lift irises in autumn to prevent ice damage to the plants. Store them in a cool spot in a net bag filled with dry peat moss. When spring arrives replant them when the soil warms and become workable.