Companion plants for iris?

Ok, I'm a newbie, so let me know if this is a bad idea, but I use verbena homestead purple for my cool colors. Sheryl

Here's another shot of the iris with verbena (and please try not to notice the vile creatures that are chewing on my plants) :-)
Sheryl

Oh Sheryl! What are the names of those blue bearded iris and where did you get them from! Gorgeous, knock down drag out gorgeous!

Thanks so very much for the compliment! They are Breakers and Sapphire Hills (note the slight difference is shade. I believe Breakers is the darker of the 2). I bought them from Spring Hill Nursery. I was skeptical about the blue - expected to see some shade of lavendar. Was very pleased with the results and have since planted a plethera of iris Am dreaming of a garden punctuated by swaths of iris (next year)...and keeping my fingers crossed. Sheryl

OMG Sheryl!

Those are the most heavenly shades of blue iris I have ever seen! I wish you had posted this pic sooner, now I have to wait 'til next year to order! That verbena is a perfect color combo, the 2 look stunning together. I have Sibs almost sky blue, but those Germans are unbelievable! To answer your, question, no, the combination doesn't look like a bad idea to me!

WOW, great choice!

Cam

Still rubbing eyes in disbelief! : )

OK, I'm sold. I usually steer clear of Spring Hill but I can't go without those iris! Thanks for letting me know the names and where you purchased them!

I love your color combination!

Great combo.I love iris because they do come in true blue, unlike daylilies.

Sincere thanks for all the kind words!

I've only ordered a few things from Spring Hill, but have never had a problem. I got the most incredibly large and healthy iris from both Schreiner's and Leota's. One of them may have these as well.

As for posting sooner, I only recognized the awesome benefits of this site a few weeks ago. I saw this thread last week, but it took me this long to get the courage to reply. But now that you "guys" have made me feel so welcome, that wont' happen again. Sorry, calliecam, that you have to wait so long to order.

I am pleased with the color combo, but honestly, it was a happy accident. I planted the verbena under my roses. Since I'm trying for that cottage garden effect, the iris just happened to be nearby. Even then, it was not until I saw the photos, that I realized how much I liked the blue/purple combo. (Oh, and BTW, it was only after the iris were long gone that i realized I had been taking pictures by using "zoom" with distance lens instead of using the macro lens which would have made much better pics. duh. Now that I've learned to use the camera correctly I have to wait a year to get another shot at the iris.)

I know this thread is about iris, but I'd like to show you the effect with the roses, too.

oh, and doss, I like your pink purple combo, too. I'm going to look around for that purple Euphorbia. Thanks. Sheryl

scutler - I love the purple verbena with the blue iris. What a great combo. I may just put some yellow ones in my garden. I I know that they can be kept very low and they don't need much water. Also, since they are single stemmed, they shouldn't crowd the roots. We are very dry here though so I can evidently get away with a lot more coverage than places where it is more humid - like the east. Anyway, as long as your rhizomes are happy, listen to them!

I bought some pale blue iris for the first time this fall. Can't wait to see them in person, now.

And Wanda, I just went back and reviewed your pictures. I can see what you mean by planting them in clumps. I've planted a lot of different ones this year so I can see what I like. Next fall, or 4 years from now when I divide, I'll (perhaps) be able to be painterly like you. Looking forward to it.

Hey scutler! Threads often take on lives of their own and people flit from one subject to another. I love it when one a post leads to another and so forth and so on. Adds spice to life.

Loved your last photo too!

Now about those digital cameras... they all come with an owner's manual. Some day I actually plan on sitting down and bonding with mine and I know it is around here somewhere. Until then, it's point and shoot and hope I have it on when I take a picture. Can't tell you how many times I took the ultimate shot only to find out the camera wasn't even on. Big Duh!

I love this site. so many fabulous resources and I love the oportunity to "meet" fellow garden ethusiasts from around the country/world! I'm hooked.

Thanks, Equilibrium, for helping me to feel a little better about my photography foibles. There are still a few buttons (with international symbols) about which I am clueless.

doss, humidity IS a big issue here - for ALL life forms, including the gardener. By July the great outdoor is a communal sauna. ick. By August, the garden is abandoned only to be viewed longingly from the A/C side of the window. So far, though, the verbena does not seem to be bothering the iris. I did learn from trial and painful error that mine like to plant themselves. I just make an indentation to accomodate the roots and sit the rhizome on top, water well. With all this humidity the roots wake up and dig in to the soil; over time rhizome ends up being "pulled" down to the level at which it is happy. Seems to work. Now about that yellow verbena, I don't believe I've seen that color. Is there really such a color? I could use that - for yellow gc I'm using lantana which looks very similar but grows higher than I prefer.

Your photography is fine. Mine on the other hand... well let's just say it is hit or miss. Every once in a while I get a really good photo. Most of the times, they are duds. Test those international symbols. One of mine was a video. I about fell over when I downloaded my feet walking across the yard. Didn't know my camera did that.

yes there is a fabulous bright yellow lantana that is a low one. I don't know the name of the cultivar but I used to have one before the remodel of my back yard. So I know that it's somewhere out there. Guess you're going nursery hunting!

Also, lantana can stand pretty brutal pruning. The yellow one does not attrack the pretty moths that the old ones do. Good luck!

I noticed that in Plants Delight it said Homestead verbena can cover junk cars. My daughter bought perennials for Mother's Day and it included two purple verbena. They have taken an 8x8 flower bed. Plus spilling over. Blooms well. I could not decide if I liked it or if it was just to invasive. I may try and move mine to a dry hillside garden.

So far mine isn't showing any sign of bad behavior; but that is a concern. It has covered the areas I put it in, but has not ventured far. It spills out onto the garden paths (in an attractive manner) but does not take root there and is gone after I mow the paths. For me the worst invasives are the ones that travel underground and immerge somewhere else already rooted and ready to go. I don't see any signs of that behavior with the verbena. So far it seems to do a good job of covering the bare bottoms of the roses and iris without swallowing them up altogether. Next year might be the year when it eats the entire garden, who knows... Sheryl

Don't be afraid of telling that verbena what to do. The yellow one wasn't quite that vigorous but that's the beauty of a spreader. you can't really prune it too much. I think i'm going to the nursery this week and do some verbena shopping.

Well, here I am singing the praises of plant delights nursery. tune into lantanas on their site. These aren't your grandma's lantanas! And they have yellow.

I did find that miniature lantana at the nursery today. it does exsist. I wanted to show what i mean by rocks as planting companions.

Doss-Gee, do rocks "grow" in your garden too? My daughters picked up dozens of them and brought them home 14 years ago when houses were being built around us. I still marvel how a 4 & 6 year old could manage to get such big rocks in their little red wagon!

I would hate to be dragging this one. But when my grandchildren were that age my fireplace mantle was filled with the treasured rocks I was brought regularly. There is a great Children's book, I think that it's called "how to pick a rock. " I'll double check and get back to you.

The book is 'Everybody needs a rock' by Baylor. You will love it I promise.

doss, your iris are quite lovely with the rock accent. My house is only a few years old, so every time I dig a new bed I find LOTS of stuff the construction crews buried; I'm collecting the rocks, bricks, etc and using them in my garden. Am also planning to "make" some rocks - well someday.

After you mentioned the low-growing lantana, I noticed that I HAVE that in my front yard - it spreads out in an 8' circle around a tree but never gets more than 8-10" high. I never noticed the difference until you pointed it out. I'll just reassign some of it to the iris beds in the backyard.

Glad you found the lantana. It should be very pretty.

Lantana doesn't like me. Sits & sits--doesn't spread out worth a darn in my garden. Marigolds hate me too--

Zinnias & Snapdragons love me, does that count?

everything counts if it's happy! Especially Zinnias and Snaps. Love them both. Lantanas, even the hardiest only go down to zone 7. No wonder you've been having some trouble. I grew up in Los Angeles and they were all over. Where I live now we have entire gardens of agapanthus left over from the 70's. At least you probably don't have to mow your lawn in the winter. I've always thought that it would be lovely to have some non-gardening time.

Snow is nice for a change. I love watching it fall. I just dream of warmer climates. At least I am not in Iowa :)

Snow is lovely, especially when it's not in the city. I lived in Boston once - what a mess! I lived in upstate New York though and it was really beautiful. The mountains are about 4 hours from us here. So, it's not too far. Now Wanda is in 5b and bluegrass is in 6A. Is there much of a difference climate wise? (maybe it's the heat.) But Wanda's pictures sure say that living in Iowa can really pay off in the garden.

Wanda is a nice gardening lady. We met at the KYRU. She sure knows her plants!

Iowa has winds that blow for days on end in the dead of winter -50 degree chill factor. It is easy to stay minus zero for 2 or 3 weeks in January. Deep snow or thaw & rain in December & March. Heavy spring & fall rains. August can hover around 90+ degrees for a few weeks with 80-95 % humidity.
Our plants have to be like us--ready for anything!

But the earth is black & I can grow a great variety without watering. I am Blessed in many ways.

Gardening by zones? LOL Not likely! Iowa's southeran areas may be closer to Kentucky temps.

wanda. thanks for the picture. My iris garden looks more like this one, can't to grow just one. I swear they are like poyato chips. I do love your color blocks, but I'm breathing a sigh of relief. don't know why i should worry. I always use riots of colors and it most often works.

I love this pink,yellow. peach and purple grouping, Do you plan ahead of time or do you just decide in the moment what to put where?

I mix colors for maximum effect. I don't like similiar colors together--I want each cultivar to stand out well from the others.

The bed is also full of daylilies, Lilies, Speedwell, Asters, mums, Sundrops, Coneflowers, cannas, coreopsis, and Lord knows what else for color every season.

Another good idea. Daylilies for impact blooming when the Iris are not. Have you had problems with the other plants, such as the cannas keeping sun from the Iris? Doesn't sound like you do.

I put cannas in the back rows with tall asters, hollyhocks, tall Moonwalker yarrow, phlox, Lilies and other tall stuff. My daylilies & iris stay in rows with shorter cultivars like iris, speedwell, yarrow, coreposis etc.

Sun is not a problem.

Thank's Wanda, I love all of those plants. Alas, I have a hollyhock disease in my soil so those don't work here very well. I am putting towers of Roses and clematis in. Hope that it will take the place of the tall Hollyhocks.

I put in a few clematis on the back fences last spring courtesy of DG trades. Only a few bloomed this year. We'll see how it goes next summer.

Wanda, I've heard that the third year is the really first year for recent blooms. But apparently Clematis live a long time so it's worth the wait.

All perennials take a while to establish. Waiting is part of the joy.

My favorite garden plaque of all time said "My garden's not dead, it's just sleeping". Wish I'd bought one. Especially in California when everything is green, my perennial garden looks pretty sad. I've put in some structure plants this year. And I'm very excited, one of my brand new Iris that I put in in Sept has a bud on it. Shreiner's is awesome. Can't wait to see it. The yellow ones are still blooming.

My garden is never stripped of foliage until spring. The dead plants help keep the mulch in place against the winter winds. It still has structure, but not much color this time of years