My 1st Siberian Iris bloom...Snow Queen! Anyone grow S.I.?

Hi all -

I added one Snow Queen Siberian Iris to my Bluestone order last Spring as an experiment because it was 50% off & they said it could take sun or shade, even very moist soil, & deer don't like it. That was enough to get me to try it since most of my yard is shady, some is quite moist and, yes, we have deer.

I followed the planting directions then didn't expect to see anything till next year cause I've read they can take a while to establish, but I noticed the foliage getting taller & taller so I've been keeping an eye on it. It got one bloom then suddenly, yesterday, it started to open. By today it was really starting to look like an Iris!

I don't know much about them & I haven't found a lot of information yet, though I've only just started looking. Bluestone says it reblooms. There weren't any comments in Plant Files. Do these get one flower per plant or should I expect more blooms? Do they come back every year? Multiply?

Any information would be helpful. I really think it's going to be beautiful & might want to plant more.

Thanks!!

Oops...I hit preview before I uploaded my pic. Here it is.

Edited to say, "Unfortunately, it's a very dreary, rainy day. Not the best for picture taking."

This message was edited Jun 11, 2011 1:34 PM

siberian irises can 'repeat bloom' a couple weeks after the first bloom stops. It's not like the spring--fall rebloom of the bearded irises.

I grow a number of different siberian iris. Most purchased from Ensata Gardens:

http://www.ensata.com/

I love 'em for the reasons you mentioned: deer avoid them, can grow in shade (although I think they do better in sun), and can take moisture. Bloom with the Clematis and peonies.

I feed them when they first peek out in springtime and then maybe after they bloom. They are pretty fool proof as far as I'm concerned. If you like Siberians, you might like Japanese Iris too. They bloom a little later and seem to like the same culture as Siberians (at least in my garden).

Here's what Ensata says about Siberians:

SIBERIAN IRISES Probably the best irises for the perennial border and landscaping. They prefer a slightly acid, organic rich damp soil, but are very adaptable. Their foliage is tall and graceful all season, even as they turn a handsome red-brown after frost.

They are dug and divided in Spring, right after bloom, or early fall. Keep them moist for the rest of the year after transplanting. We grow them in the field with the Japanese and use the same culture sheet, including planting 2-3" deep.
______________________________________________

I started out by buying the Ensata Gardens 'special collection' and think at that time they offered 20 different siberians. Some of them were very hardy and strong growers, others were a little sappy, but all still pretty. I don't have all of them anymore, and most have lost their labels I'm sorry to say. They are often overlooked at good plant nurseries and I have purchased several for very cheap at the end of the season sales. (Same for Japanese Iris). I probably have about 20 different kinds these days.

Good luck! t.

Just to answer your other questions~~~You'll get a lot more than one bloom per plant. Established plants will have 40-50 blooms. They come back every year, and multiply well. A 3 year clump is when you start to see tons of blooms.

If you get early, mid and late varieties you can have blooms for about a 6 week period, all together.

This is what my white Siberian Clump looked like when it bloomed this year. It bloomed for two weeks. Lat r two bloomed today. Rain beat them to death.

Our clump of 'Anglesley' a blue, is really large this year. Will have to take some off for our club sale or it will grow into other plants. It is originally from the U.K.

irisMA, There's no picture in Plant Files, could you add one of your clump?

sorry I don't have one. think tall & blue.

Wow. . . Thanks so much for all your help & info - irisMA...tabasco...pollyk & mittsy!!

I'd love to hear more about your different varieties & also the Japanese Iris sound pretty cool, too.

I never imagined they could get so many blooms on one plant. Somehow I thought they were more like a Daffodil or Tulip...how dumb is that?

When we bought our house there were some regular Irises (Bearded?) that the previous owner had planted. I left them for a couple of years then got rid of them. They never looked that great & seemed to only bloom for a few days.

I like the idea of different varieties to extend the season. I definitely plan to buy more next year.

You're welcome!

Oh, definitely try Japanese!

One more thing about the Siberian Iris, nutsaboutnature, is that I have noticed the butterflies nectaring on them, at least the blue/purple ones.

And maybe when you are thinking they bloom 'like tulips or daffs', you're thinking of the Dutch Iris that grow from bulbs and do bloom just one time like tulips.

There is one Sib that grows very easily from seed - Caesar's Brother - I once saved a jar of seeds and they grew well. You can get a whole sea of blue-violet. I haven't tried saving seeds from any of the others.
This photo shows the beginning of a Sib row around my TB bed. From left: Caesar's Brother, Coronation Anthem, River Dance, Sparkling Rose

This message was edited Jun 12, 2011 5:25 AM

This message was edited Jun 12, 2011 5:29 AM

Well as long as we are sharing beautiful pictures, here's Eric The Red, taken last month at WKBG in Owensboro, KY. One of my favorite places to visit when we are at our son's house.

Polly, did you take any pictures on your Girl's Day Out at Dana Borglums?

mittsy stop show your iris.i want them all now..lol

Of course, Mittsy

very nice pollyk.was this at somebody house or is this your yard?

Most sibs grow easily from seed. But then remember it's not the same as the parent plant, it's new plant, new variety. The only way you get the same plant is by division. So seeds from Coronation Anthem, for ex., will not produce Coronation Anthem irises.

That's at Dana Borglum's Iris Farm in Geneva.

was it a tour?

pollyk-you sould come to the plant swap in ithaca today.it's at 12

No, not a tour. He's open every day except Saturdays through the summer. He sells siberians, bearded and peonies he hybridizes.

Thanks Dori, can't this time, but I will come sometime.

Yes, I understand about hybrids. But what I was saying about Caesar's Bro is that the seeds produce beautiful masses of flowers and so easily. It shouldn't be a problem if I keep the named variety by itself so I know what's what!
More Pics! Want more pics!

Exactly right, Sharon. I was just throwing that out there, as so many of the irises are being lost now, as lot's of people (I know not you) think an iris started from seed is the same as the parent. Caesar's Brother is so mixed up in commerce now that they have no idea which the true Caesar's Brother is anymore.

Here's a new one to me. Concord Crush:

Polly, thank you for the eye candy. Very tasty! My sibs bloomed so early this year. The 95 degrees temps just burned them out. I do have the Spuria you gave me blooming, took three years but it is a nice clump. Lavender with bright yellow "eye".

While I was visiting with Dennis D near Paducah, I noticed he has everything labeled by number. I will be transferring my data to this system to make it harder for thieves to steal from my gardens. I'll take you up on that offer of replacement for Pink Frost. The list of "missing" grows longer each day, I'll be making a mighty effort this summer to transfer more to WKBG. Had hoped to do it over 5 years but now I feel pressured into a big push. What hurts the most is all the work I did in researching and labeling everything and then to have it work against me. Don't know what the variety is as the tags were all in a heap. Back to square one. Picture is pretty true to the real color. Very dark purple with a very slight red cast. Striking!

Oh my gosh, everyone, the pictures are FANTASTIC!! I want them ALL!!

Tabasco, you're probably right about me visualizing Dutch Iris, just taller. I plant most of my flowers with butterflies, hummingbirds & other birds in mind so that's another bonus.

Caitlinsgarden, I've heard of Caesar's Brother. Bluestone calls it The Classic, but I didn't know they grew well from seed.

Boy, pollyk, I could plop a house down right in the middle of Dana Borglum's and spend the rest of my days there. Concord Crush is gorgeous.

It's interesting that Dana Borglums is in Geneva, a place my husband & I fell in love with...In fact I notice that several of you are in the beautiful Finger Lakes area. We have seriously considered moving there someday. Though we've been in Illinois many years & really like this area, we both came from different areas. I was actually born in New York, but mostly grew up in California. . . but that's off-topic. . . sorry.

The variation in plants from seed sounds like Aquilegia which will produce unusual varieties if they cross-pollinate.

Mittsy, that's unbelievable that so many of your plants have been stolen! That's awful... How will a number system curb the thefts? Are they going for particular plants by name?

Off topic is good, since you're the one that started the topic, LOL. What part of NY are you from. Yes, the fingerlakes area is wonderful. Mittsy and I unfortunately live in the snowier areas.

Another couple of pics at Danas.

Another

Love the pics of Danas, pollyk.

I was born in Brooklyn then lived in the Bronx until a job transfer (when I was 6) sent us to the West Coast. While still in NY, though, my family used to vacation Upstate & on visits back we often spent time with relatives that lived Upstate. I've never forgotten the area and have always loved it. After my husband and I made our first trip there together, he fell in love with it as well.

Ah, big city girl. Yes, upstate NY is lovely, as is Illinois.

Big city girl to the age of 6. The area we live in now reminds me a little bit of Upstate NY. . .trees, wildlife, nature. It's not the same as we aren't that far from city, but still pleasant.

More off topic but on the way to the 7 valleys Plantcycle meeting I saw these really neat Flamingos and pink Peonies.

Now that is what I call Garden Sculpture. This trio stood about 5 foot tall.

I took 4 Hosta plants to the swap and came home with sage, lemon mint, Johnny jump ups and Black Krim tomato, Cherry tomato and Roma tomato plants. All in all, a great day!