We are covered in snow and the small local roads are blocked. At least the snow is providing a blanket for the early spring bulbs to continue developing. One of my favouirite blooms is that of the Iris in this case grown from a bulb. Later on the rhizomas varieties will also add colour to the garden but in the meantime I eagerly anticipate the arrival of my Iris.
The outer petals are called the falls and on some varieties the ‘beard’ shows here with small hairs. The upright part are the ‘Standard’ which are most striking on Flag Iris.
One of the earliest flowering bulbs is this Iris Reticulata. It makes a lovely rockery bulb. It is low growing, though the flowers are as beautiful as anything you might see in summer. The foliage is also delicate and attractive.
The flower can vary in colour from this deep purple to yellow like below.
Tips for Growing Iris Reticulata
Plant in autumn at a depth of *2 or *2.5 the bulb height. They aren’t too fussy, though a good drained soil helps. To make the most of the flowers, try planting with a layer of light coloured gravel. This helps prevent soil splashing the flowers and also shows off the dark coloured flowers better.
These photos were taken at St John’s College Oxford on 17th February. They are in a rockery above ground level, which helps you to appreciate their beauty. (see also: Crocus Photos from St John’s)
Iris Reticulata. Note this photo was taken with f5.6 so only small part of flower is in focus. Photo at top had a higher F stop F11 so all flower was in focus.
Related
- Growing Iris
- Iris Reticulata and histroides
- Winter Iris at BBC gardenening
- Iridacea photos on Flickr
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