companion plants for siberian irises

What would be good companion plants for siberian irises that would complement them in
flowering time, hight and folliage color, seasonal interest? Pictures and/or links would be very appreciated too.

Just found this thread: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/460888/
It seems more about beaded irises, but I am sure some could apply to
siberians too. I wish there were some pictures to help newbies more
to put the two and two together.

Compantion plants is a perennial question. I will if I can apply some ideas.

My fav combo is oriental poppy "Pink Ruffles" which I have at the end of the sib/Japanese iris walk.

I also use sibs as a backdrop. My beardeds are in front.

And again as a backdrop.

I've also used this same dark velvet purple with chartreuse hostas and middendorfii daylilies (very early!).

Edited to add that the purple in front is a rare geranium that was here when I bought the house.

This message was edited Apr 30, 2007 6:24 PM

What geranium is that in the photo?

Shoot can't remember-it took me 5 years to ID, too. Is it magnificum? Well, no pic to verify, but here's one that's a good price. http://www.diggingdog.com/pages2/plantpages.php/P-0203

I have jolly jump ups (tiny violas) as companion plants. They are easily pulled up if they become too rambunctious.

inanda

Gorgeous pictures as always, Boojum!

Here's a pic of sibs in the border with catmint and ornamental grass.

And a closer up.

boojum, thank you so much for the pictures. what a nice combination with daylilies, hosta and geranium. It sure works wonderful as a back drop. Love your plant companion groups! Especially the one with ferns, solomon's seal and hostas by the porch.
How much sun does the iris get there?

inanda, violas have quite a bit of color to play with. I assume you put them infront as edging.

pollyk,
What is this iris? I'd like to add that shade of sky blue siberian iris. I like the catmint iris combination, but my catmint does not seem to get as tall.
Ribbon grass is a nice touch too.

Hi Enya,

The iris is Coronation Anthem. The catmint Walkers Low, (some of the catmint varieties are taller than others), and the grass is Calamagrostis Overdam. I would recommend against ribbon grass in borders, it's quite invasive. There are a lot of better variegated grasses for the border than ribbon grass (Phalaris)

Coronation Anthem is a tetraploid sib, and very vigorous. I can divide mine each year.

And here's a nice thread for you that shows some good combos. Boojums pictures are always spectacular, and ther's quite a few in this thread.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/511077/

That front yard scene is in AM soon, afternoon shade, enya. Sigh! Can't wait for the show!

Boojum, I am eager to see your next sib show and everyone else's too. I wrote down that you said it was Geranium x magnificum and it is my wanted journal. Patti

Thanks guys, I have just a few Siberian Iris next to my pond, but I went to a plant swap last weekend and brought home 2 more pots and I am trying to figure out where to plant them.
Boojum, I really like the look of your front porch and the Iris with the Poppy
Pollyk, Like the look of your beds too. I have some green and white variegated ornamental grass that would look pretty nice with the Iris and add a few poppies.

This message was edited May 1, 2007 9:03 AM

One month the go. Patti

Gorgeous pic Patti!

What's your tall siberian there?

Patti,
Thank you for sharing the wonderful picture of your iris walk. I can see that the succession
if blooms working there. That's one of my problems.
Could you please list the plants? It's such a great combination!
What is that smaller round clump in the front peaking from behind the shorter iris?
It looks lavender to me. What is the shorter iris in the front?

boojum,
What are the ferns (?) in your porch garden? I love the hight variation and spacing that
actually brings plants out. I tend to over plant. Great gardens always remind me that less
is more here.

This message was edited May 1, 2007 8:45 AM

The purple tall one was bought years ago as 'Caesar's Brother' with , as you noted, a lavender and then another clump of I.s. 'Orville Fay' then a Abbottswood Potentilla fruticosa just starting to bloom and there are a white Japanese roof iris, Album Iris tectorum, plus lots of other plants inter-planted in that bed. I have posted a collage with different views taken during this bloom period. But my knowledge of Siberians is limited so I defer to Boojum. My Id's could be wrong with the purple one. Her gardens are spectacular, the pictures, although wonderful, do them no justice. Enjoy, Patti

Patti,
Thank you for the closeups and different views. It's interesting how together plants look so much more then they are individualy. I like the curved pass that makes you want to see what's behind that next turn. I don't have the luxury of sunny expance to actually have that, but I'll try to scale that down and apply to my garden too.

Thanks, Patti! It was so wonderful meeting Patti and Pren last year and then we went plant shopping a few times too! And saw your paradise in VT.

Siberians were (and still are) my first love and I happen to live in a very siberian iris place-hybridizers and great interest for years in New England. I even went to a Sib Conference in Eastern Ma once. I still look at my wishlist from there.

Enya the ferns are Interrupted ferns and they were there and I rearranged them a bit to fit in other plants. This is all you see from the street and then when you get onto the property the garden screams at you. I love that no one really knows from the sedate front. It's like a secret.

Edited to say: Patti, I am so envious of your stone paths!

This message was edited May 1, 2007 12:38 PM

boojum,
Would you happen to have a picture of the garden in the second photo from the patio (from inside)?
I am intrigued by the plants that are peaking out from behind and around the irises.

I will look. Here's another poppy pic in the meantime.

And another. It really helps for me to really look at the pics instead of those tiny thumbnails! Crabapple tree after early bloom and yellow baptisia, yellow rose of Texas (Harison's yellow) in back right.

This does makes the poppies and irises combination irrisistable!
And it does add the punch to iris colors against the red of the poppies.
Otherwise effect would be blending from blue to purple.
Thank you for sharing a different perspective.

I will be checking my WS containers for oriental poppies tonight.

Spacing, spacing, spacing, I should keep this in mind. It shows off the vertical iris structure.

What is that yellow plant that's pickign from behind? Blue and yellow is a classic color-wheel
combination.


This message was edited May 1, 2007 4:07 PM

Here's another pink blue combo. Peony Coral Charm and sib.

Yes, this is pretty. The plants are about the same hight but have very different look.

I'm an artist, so color combos are what I live for!! A friend once was commenting on different gardener's priorities like texture, symmetry, etc. He told me my garden is about color.

Here's the best I can find of the beardeds on one corner in front of the tall sibs. There's a yellow lupine, too and big hostas here and there, a burning bush and at the far right is a dwarf japanese red maple.

I agree that color choices are prominent in your gardens. Another very strong point is showcasing the whole plant. Great spacing that allows me to trace vertically the slender tall folliage of siberian irises or the arches of Solomon's seal or mounds of hostas.

I guess I especially notice in each garden what I lack in mine. Spacing in your gardens and intrigue and lure in Patti's.

I'm pretty sure things get a lot less spaced by the end of the season!! But they are this way in June.

I think that's one reason Boojums garden looks so much nicer than mine. She can see the beauty in spacing the plant. I can't seem to let a square inch be without plant.

Hi, everybody!

Just found this thread. So interesting to see the combinations. I purchased a few dozen siberians from Ensata last year and they are coming in very well, now I need some companiions for them (in addition to my peonies) so I'm learning a lot here! Thanks for all the comments and pics.

I did go on a walk today and saw a beautiful garden with siberian iris and tall white airy aquilegia and pink multiflora roses among other flowers and foliage plants. Very pretty.

I am going to try to grow columbine from seed to add to the garden for next year.

Any advice would be appreciated. (Some of my favorite DG gardeners are posting on this thread!)

Happy gardening this weekend. t.

Tabasco, I started a pack of 'green apples' aquilegia seeds last spring and had tons of it germinate. It is planted in several places here and at my Vt house, (plus I gave a bunch away, Boojum got some) and it is coming up nicely here in a mixed partly shady bed as well as in a mostly shady hosta and spring bulb bed. I will let you know how it looks with the iris. I have so many that I will be moving some about this week and I think it will look nice with more sibs. Good idea, thanks. I have a old no name but luscious dark purple aquilegia that comes up all over the place and I will move some of it to the mingle with the sibs too. I grow a lot of geranium varieties that look wonderful with Iris. Plus they are easy. I started 'Magpie' aquilegia, this year and I need to see what has germinated. I have to tackle the seedling flats asap. I have been watering but have not pricked out many yet. Terrible mom. Patti

The south dell bed
Monkshood Pink Sensation Aconitum carmichaelii
Monkshood, Wolfbane Bicolor Aconitum x cammarum
Ladybells, Lady Bells Adenophora bulleyana
Wood Anemone Vestal Anemone nemorosa
European Columbine Tower Light Blue Aquilegia vulgaris
Clematis-flowered Columbine Black Barlow Aquilegia
Aquilegia Green Apples
lords and Ladies Marmoratum Arum italicum subsp. italicum
False spirea Gloria Weiss astilbe
Siberian Bugloss Jack Frost Brunnera macrophylla
Siberian Bugloss Looking Glass Brunnera macrophylla
Black Cohosh Pink Spike Cimicifuga ramosa
Euphorbia polychroma
Louisiana Iris Black Gamecock
Siberian Iris Shirley Pope
Bigleaf Ligularia Britt Marie Crawford Ligularia dentata
scillian honey lily nectaroscordum siculum
lung wort bluemaster polemonium
Variegated Japanese Knotweed,
Trevi Fountain Pulmonaria
Thalictrum flavum subsp. glaucum
digitalis mixed
green Nicotiana
spring narcissus, crocus, muscari, sweet woodruff, hosta, Sweet Cicely, and ferns.

Well, I asked the right person! What a good list of possibilities for pairings and thanks for the tip on the aquilegias. I saw the "Green Apples" seed in the Thompson and Morgan catalog and thought it might be a good match, especially around the clematis and siberians.

Did you start many of your plants listed from seed? I didn't get to my winter-sowing this past year and I think I really missed out....

I recorded your suggestions in my DG journal. I hope you don't mind.

Tabasco, I am honored that you like the combo. I will post a picture soon. I just start common seeds like nasturtium, hollyhocks, digitalis, dianthus, aquilgia, poppies, nicotiana, lots of herbs, veggies, marigolds, zinnia, verbena, sunflowers, delphinium, morning glory, pansy, primula etc. Nothing too difficult. I do lots of divisions and cuttings of everything I can. I should have had stock in Rootone. I am a merciless divider of every clump I can to expand my gardens. I do have a cool greenhouse which helps heat our house, but, as we don't add any heat to it, it is tricky to grow seeds. Too hot during very sunny days, but too cold at night. It is great for wintering over tender plants. I am able to save from year to year plants like impatience, petunias, African daisy, geraniums, herbs, peppers plus GH plants and bulbs. I usually put a plastic tarp on our living room floor for March and April and part of May for the seed flats. It is pretty unsightly but that room stays at about 67degrees, so it is a good place for easy seeds. I just close the door to the mess. My first winter sowing was not great. But I hedged my bets and saved some of each to start inside. Many of the plants in that south dell bed started out as divisions from another older bed. Divide and Conquer! Patti