ground cover for iris beds

Hi
I am wondering if any of you have opinions about planting a low growing plant of some sort in iris beds? Since they spend many months not in bloom, I am considering planting verbena in the beds. What do you think?

I am new to iris gardening. Actually, have my first garden this year in 20 years at least - but have been working like crazy for nine months and am approaching park status. That's what I told my husband I was going to do when he told me we were never going to move to the country: create a park. He thought I was joking at first. My focus is going to be roses and iris.
Thanks for any input.
Mary W.
Texas

Mary: I've been thinking the same thing, about a ground cover. I'm new at gardening also so I was waiting for someone else to answer you. I don't think many are watching this thread, as irises are kinda out of season right now. From what I've read they like to bask in the sun, therefore a ground cover might hinder this. I would wait and see if anyone else responds before trying it. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Personal opinion here only. From what I have seen and read, iris don't really like ground covers. However they will easily cohabit a bed with other plants. Including verbenas. We do have quite a bit of Periwinkle(Vinca Minor)and a native wild ground cover sometimes known as Gill Over the Ground in our iris beds which cover the rhizomes a bit too much. It has a pungent odor which helps to keep some insects at bay and lovely delicate blooms a lot of the summer. I sometimes have to pull it out and restore some balance and order to the beds but it comes right back. I hope this helps you.

Thanks for your replies. I may add the verbena. Have to think about it.
Mary

Someplace I've read that irises need to be elevated and not watered too much, but I did not know that when I planted mine years ago. I've scraped away the extra soil from around the rhizomes, but haven't changed anything else. You might not want to plant something that needs a lot of water. I've interplanted daylilies for the same reason you stated and have not had any problems. I would think that your verbena would be a good match. My verbena requires little water.

Edited to add: I just was reading a thread started by Wandasflowers. She interplants her iris clumps with daylilies and she is the resident expert on iris.

This message was edited Dec 2, 2006 1:53 PM

I've asked this question here before and been advised to avoid planting anything that forms too dense a groundcover, as that could hold too much moisture in around the iris rhizomes. So I've been trying to think of plants that will spread but maintain an "airy" feel to them...

I planted 3 little Lamium 'Orchid Frost' in my iris bed this spring, and they really took off! The irises that got surrounded still look happy, no sign of rot on the rhizomes, so I think the foliage is open enough to allow the soil surface to dry out. The Serbian Bellflower that I put in at the same time behaved like a normal perennial and put its energy into roots rather than into spreading, but I'm hoping it will take off next year.

I just saw a photo in the Cottage Garden forum with chives planted among irises, and the purple blooms were a wonderful compliment, plus chives have "open" grassy foliage and don't need much water.... I think I'll be giving that a try also!

Chives is a great idea! Aren't they host plants for swallowtails?

Deborah♥

I'm not sure.... I know black swallowtail cats will eat parsely and fennel, but I'll have to check and see about chives... But I've seen lots of different little flutterbyes "nectaring" on chive blooms.

I have garlic chives (white flowers) near my iris. It's great in my yard, because they flower late, and it doesn't coincide with the iris bloom. The flowers are nice & tall , but not at all aggressive here in So. Wisconsin. A friend gave me the idea and I loved it.

I have garlice chives also, but never thought about putting them between my irises. Some of them will need moving in the spring. Thanks for the idea.

Here's something I might try: I have lots of Creeping Jenny - the chartreuse color- and it would look great in the spring while the iris are blooming. In the summer it would have to die back a bit due to the heat and drier conditions. But I have LOTS of it that I tear out of the pathways and other places, so it would not be a big deal if it died off each summer. And it's very easy to rip out if I don't like it.

Now, if I can just remember this next spring....
Toxi

I have Creeping Jenny, too. Or had. I'm not sure if it's still going out there or not. Either way, I'll be glad to pay postage for a wad of what you are throwing away. It makes such a nice edging for just about everything.

Do you all mean to say that you don't have a problem with garlic chives seeding around aggresively? I like the plant, and the Bazooka bubble gum fragrance, but I have to keep seed production in check where I live near Minneapolis.

Unwanted seedlings seem to come up pretty easily for me by hoeing or hand-pulling, especially if I do it earlier in the season rather than waiting until late summer... they're easy to ID because of their fragrance, too! :-)

Interesting about garlic chives. This greenhouse near my house told me last summer that they wouldn't be carrying them anymore because they are a pain to germinate. I usually have a lot of seed heads, but no more plants the following year, near Madison. Have you tried chopping off the seed heads after flowering is done?

I don't have any problem with seedlings and didn't know they even could be a problem. I mulch heavily and maybe that's why I don't get any.

I use voilas in beds. Not where I'm growing iris in rows. Very easy to pull up and colourful.
inanda

I plant my iris in mixed beds. The iris are planted with plenty of space and up on little mounds so I can mulch all the other plants without smothering my iris.

Spring 2006 in my Cupid bed

Same bed, same view in July. Tall Bearded Iris are mixed with daylilies, lilies, phlox, coreopsis, speedwell, sedum and more.

Wow, Wonda!! 8+O..... Thats beautiful. Wish mine looked like that

My Iris are planted all throughout my beds. Do you think in the spring I should pull them up and put them all in thier own bed?
Mary

June picture with iris in bloom

Later in the season the daylilies take over

Oh, I love that planting, olt. You have an excellent mixed bed. I need to enlarge a steep bank bed near the front of my house. This is inspiring. I also like to mix iris and daylilies. What is the bright green in the rocks, a sedum?
Teresa in KY

Thanks Teresa. yes it is sedum, yellow flowered one and a red one, along with a few other plants.
Along the bank further I have creeping tyme and creeping phlox. It makes quite a show from the main road.

Lynn

That's gorgeous Lynn!

I agree Teresa!! What a great inspiring thread! I'm lovin' all these wonderful summertime pictures. I wish my beds looked so well thought out and lush.

I do think that success with interplanting iris and other plants may be influenced by the kind of soil you are working with too. I seem to learn my best lessons by making mistakes lol!! When I first planted iris three years ago I stupidly picked the worst spot in my yard. I made a bed for them at the edge of my yard that borders the road thinking that it is hotter next to the asphalt. While that is true, I didn't take into account the the downward slope my yard has plus the red clay of my soil, not to mention all the rain we get in the winter and spring. So that spring I did enjoy many blooms accompanied by the lovely smell of rotting rhizomes from the ones that didn't make it. (boy, there is NOTHING like that lazer blade like ammonia fragrance lol)

Thanks to a lot of great Dave's advice I realized my mistake and decided to change the soil at the bottom of my yard by adding a TON of sand so it would drain well. It was either that or change the location of the iris. So far this has worked really well.

Now for the companion planting part! Even though the iris are loving their new desert like sandy soil, the bed does look a bit barren when they aren't up. I was afraid of anything that would hold moisture or not do as well with so much sand. I did have some small sized sedums that I took some cuttings from and they like the sand as well. If they start growing too close to the iris I just pull some off and place it in a more barren spot. So far so good - but I'm looking forward to this summer to reveal some brand new mistake that I can learn a new lesson from lol!!

Sedum does sound like a good match. I don't grow daylilies with my irises because they seem to do better with more water than the irises.

Gardening is a trial and error thing. I lost a few iris to a soggy spot because that is where I wanted them. They need better drainage!

Gardening is a trial and error thing. I lost a few iris to a soggy spot because that is where I wanted them. They need better drainage! They were TBs. I didn't have any Louisana iris then.

Lynn,
Great mixed plantings on the slope!

Planting my iris up on 4 inch high mounds allows them to dry out as the daylilies & other perennials soak up the water. My tricky part is making sure the iris get enough air around them to fend off disease.

Another mixed bed this spring. The iris are tall and obscuring all the other plants.

Mid July finds the bed full of daylilies & other perennials . I put lilies toward the back. this bed is 40 foot long and 15 foot deep.

Wanda, are there any "designated" pathways through that 15 foot deep bed, or do you just step around wherever you can to get to the plants?

Beautiful pictures Wanda and Lynn. Spring IS right around the corner.

Lynn, what is the large white plant in your last picture, over by the Lupins?

Bluegrassmom,

There are some very hardy louisiana iris that will be very happy in your damp/low area. Ask Greg at Iris City Gardens which are the best ones. I grew Dorothy K. Williamson,
Black Gamecock and others in Ontario zone 4b. Also some pseudacorus would be very happy there. Greg has some pretty pseudacorus which grow very well. Go look at the website for iris city gardens. Chowning hybrids are very hardy. They should do well in zone 6.
inanda

No pathways--just space between the plants. Gets a little crowded by August and looks alittle bare in March....

Ah.... I think I'm just bad about leaving enough spaces between my plants... I have to try hard even to leave wide enough pathways... My beds do tend to end up looking crowded, which I know is not the best thing, but I can't seem to resist squeezing in "just a few more" plants. LOL

Gorgeous gardens, Wanda & Lynn! Lynn, I really love the rock border on your beds and the way you've planted between the rocks... what plants did you use for that?

I plant my perennials 18-24 inches apart in a diamond pattern. plenty of room to step between them. All my beds are wide borders so I can have maximum grass under the trees in the center of the yard. Gives the hammock a shady place for my lazy moments.

Beautiful gardens !!! I also plant daylilies with my iris and some cone flowers and shastas, phlox have to keep that color coming all season. Wish there was some color now .Come on spring!!

Hi Polly the big white plant is willow silix Hakuro Nishiki Vigorous grower, but doesn't get upset if you give it a good trimming often.

Critterologist there are so many things planted in the rocks or on the top and spills over. ajuga, rock cress white and purple, tyme, creeping phlox,sedum autumn joy and gold moss, 3 colors of lamium, and may be more.

Lynn, I thought it was Salix Hakuro Nishiki when I first saw it. Very good use of this shrub! For some reason mine is more pink.