Blackberry Lily or Leopard Flower
Iris domestica (formerly Belamcanda chinensis) (IRIDACEAE)
Planting and Growing Blackberry Lily
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow blackberry lily or leopard flower in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of blackberry lily or leopard flower
- Season of bloom and planting time for blackberry lily or leopard flower
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for blackberry lily or leopard flower
- When, how deep, and where to plant blackberry lily or leopard flower
- How to plant blackberry lily or leopard flower
- Watering, fertilizing, care and pests or diseases of blackberry lily or leopard flower
- Landscape and indoor uses of blackberry lily or leopard flower
- Comments about blackberry lily or leopard flower and its features
Growing Blackberry Lily
Summer rhizome. Deciduous. Stands 2–4 ft. (60–120 cm) tall. Narrow, swordlike, upright or arching, long green leaves.
Blackberry lily was reclassified into the Iris family based on genetic studies but is still sold in the garden trade under its original scientific and common name.
Blackberry Lily Planting and Care Guide
Flowers
Late summer–early autumn. Orange speckled with red. Multiple open, star-shaped flowers, 2–3 in. (50–75 mm) wide, form black, berrylike, clustered seed in autumn.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 5–10; ground hardy, zones 8–10.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained, sandy loam. Fertility: Rich–average. 6.5–7.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Spring in full sun to partial shade. Space 10–12 in. (25–30 cm) apart, slightly below soil level.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist during growth. Fertilize until buds form. Propagate by division in autumn, seed in spring. Best left undisturbed.
Lifting and Storing
Dark, 50–60°F (10–16°C), in porous container of dampened peat moss.
About This Species
Good choice for borders in cottage gardens and landscapes. Dry berries for arrangements. Deer, rodent resistant. Mosaic virus 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.