Iris, daylilies, and roses-good companions?

Please excuse my ignorance. I would like to plant these together, but not sure if the iris will like the same conditions. Advice, please?

Hey there Laura! I love this combo for bloom through much of the year. The main thing is to give the iris and roses plenty of room for air circulation and light, and if you water your roses much in summer, slightly raising the area where bearded iris are planted is helpful. I also like to raise the soil level for iris so I can mulch everything else without the mulch settling over the iris rhizomes.

Very good advice Neal...and I totally agree! Laura, that will look wonderful and have something going most of the growing and blooming season too! You could even tuck some lilies or some callas in there too....will look wonderful!

It is cooler here today, at this moment..I need to get outside and PLANT something...lol I certainly have plenty to plant too! With more on the way....oh, my!

Hi Janet, and Happy belated Birthday! Finally cooler here too, and we've been getting a little rain the last couple of days. All planting stopped here when the drought really set in, and thank goodness, because now there are restrictions on watering.

Laura, if you are looking for plants to bloom at the same time as bearded iris too, I love peonies and columbine with them, and if you have early bloomers, single late tulips are lovely with them. I like to use the same concept in the garden as in floral design of using "form" flowers (blooms that are structurally beautiful), like iris with "mass" flowers (big, voluminous blooms-peonies) and "filler" flowers. I find the contrast of forms very pleasing to the eye.

Thanks Neal! It is still just too hot for me, even with the breeze...but I am so worried about the table filled with daylilies and Iris of all kinds, shapes and forms..it is a little stressful, worrying about whether they will be okay NOT planted, and knowing with the drought and watering problems I have already lost a lot of things I DID get planted. My porch is filled with planters of SIB Iris right now...tell me they go dormant, because they are looking brown and I have been watering them too...STRESSFUL...lol

Laura, I have Columbine Seed too if you want some and Cleome looks nice in there then the rest is starting to wane and stop blooming too...it is an annual here, but will reseed without problems. I like those filler flowers too Neal!

Doesn't columbine like shade? I have some growing in a low sunlight area, year two for them. Cleome would be grand.

The one peony that's been here since before I moved in (4/04) has never once made a bloom. It had to have been planted at least two years before that because the house was vacant or the owner was unable to do yard work any longer. I love peonies!

I agree, Neal, about contrasting forms.

The area I'm working on is on a south wall of my house that is 16' long. I want the iris to hide the cinderblock foundation, and I've selected Aureo varigata (sp?) for its striped foliage along with Royal Knight (a rebloomer), Red Zinger, and Firebreather.
Next to the house I'm thinking of planting 2 Tuscan Blue rosemary and one lavender (unknown name) to cover the foundation in all seasons, need little water, and can be easily manicured (plus, I use them for incense and potpourri, besides cooking with the rosemary-I adore the stuff!). In front of those I would plant the iris - Aureo Varigata (sp?) for its striped foliage and Firebreather. In front of those, intermediates Royal Knight, Red Zinger, and Honey Glazed. In front and center is one rose - called "Heirloom" that I planted last spring for its purple color and it's just gorgeous-the same purple as my house (blackberry ice cream), with dayliles on either side and dog trails integrated among them with the plants protected/outlined with big rocks.

I've got Callirhoe convoluta to crawl over everyone. Tulips are out, because critters like them too much, and with critters I have dogs that dig them out. :-) Will likely plant other spring bloomers, but don't know which. If I can keep a clematis happy in a pot for long enough, I would like it to climb the rose, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

I need something that will bloom in the fall, too. For spring, I'll pop in some daffs, but tulips are too tasty and tempting for critters here, and with open access to the dogs-well, I know they'd be eaten and all else would be destroyed.

I have to get a photo. It's a hard area only because of the dogs and the very strong afternoon sun with no real morning sun except in winter.
Thank you, Neal and Janet.

I love the combo of iris, dl's and roses. It's my favorite. Neal is right about planting the iris "higher" so they don't rot.

Janet...I assume by SIB you mean Siberian Iris? If so, then yes, they do go dormant. My particular experience with them is that they do not like to be moved...maybe I'm wrong, but I finally stopped moving mine and they are doing great now.

4paws...I don't know what your climate is where you are, but pansies and violas are just now showing up here, and do well for fall color, at least here.

Laura, Columbine will do fine the sunny areas as well. I have mine in all types of conditions and they all bloom equally well. Have you thought about Sweet Autumn Clematis? If you want some of that one. I have one I can send you...it is blooming now...it smells wonderful and has sweet star shaped white flowers.

Oh, I'd love some cleome, but not sweet autumn, Janet - that one is invasive...have lots of invaders in my woods already. Didn't think about pansies and violas-I never remember the little plants :-). I'm thinking of things that can also handle some neglect in the watering area, as irrigation is not always reliable and it gets really hot here with no rain and very low humidity.

Here is a shot of the area at 9:30 am. I can't do anything that won't be happy to be messed with at the end of that deck, as one day I'll be able to do the work needed there (where the downspout is). My desk is next to the big window, so I'm toying with the idea of putting a wine barrel there with some hummer attractors, maybe a Phygelius (that's one in the big pot), but I'm concerned that it won't get enough sun overall in the summer. I'm slowly working my way away from the house to train the dogs to another path, as the dust just loads up my living room from them playing-it's like having horses, they play so hard and kick up so much dust.

It's certainly a masterpiece in progress. The black pots are temp. while I figure out what is going to be put in the ground. They are more or less protecting a young Meyer's lemon tree from the dogs.

Laura, have you ever harvested seed from your Callirhoe? I'd love to try some if you do. That is the one often called Wine Cups, isn't it?

Janet, in Z7 your sibs should not be dormant now. Do you see any green on them? Are they getting sunlight. I'm sure you are giving them water and fertilizer?

Yes, they are getting all of the above...lol I see green on most of them, just a few have turned brown already...so I am hoping they have gone dormant earlier than the rest....I will have to check the roots I guess...they are in planters on my porch. Thanks Polly!

SIBs won't like it with the others, will they? They need more water, I expect than any of the things I've planted.

I have callihroe with seeds that I'll definately collect for you, Neal. I also have two fat carrot-like roots in trade that are leafing out-I didn't realize they made such giant roots.

Janet,

If you see green on them, they should be fine. I wouldn't expect they will go dormant until frost.

Laura,

Sibs are great for mixed borders. They will do better with a little more water, but will do just fine in a regular border. I don't expect, however, that sibs would do well for you in Z8.

No?
Foo, I bought 27 from ensata last spring with Janet, Riverland, and 9kitty-it seems mine might be the only survivors, and those are in pots - probably 14 or so left. I was going to put them in soon....hmmmm...

I think Z 8 is the extent of the hardiness zones. That doesn't mean they won't survive, I just doubt they will thrive. Give them some shade and lots of water. It's the lack of winter cold that might be the problem.

You only have 14 out of 27 left? That stinks. And do you mean that the others people that purchased with you have lost theirs? Time to contact Ensata. Was it their 2.00 sale?

While the Sibs I've grown have done best with more moisture, they have also tolerated drought like troupers. I did'nt know they required the cold period, but just said "duh" to myself, since they are Siberian, lol.

right-cold-Siberian.

I think Janet might have contacted ensata-it was during their $2 sale.

Japanese iris for 2 bucks!?
Where? Anyone have a few to trade?

Siberian Iris, Ensata had a spring sale.

And Ensata said?

Janet, did you contact ensata?

I did ... here is the reply to my email...

It does not sound good for them. If they are kept damp, not soggy wet, some should send up some new green shoots. The most likely cause for the fan to turn brown and come off of the rhizome, is that the plant roots dried out sometime between shipping and planting or the plants got too hot (120) during shipping. Or they got too hot just after transplanting.

Its probably too hot there now for many of them to recover. The only thing you can do now is mulch the soil to keep it as cool as you can, and keep the soil damp and don't let it dry out. (for the rest of them). Let us know what happens. We hope you received them quickly after they arrived in Georgia.

John at Ensata.

I don't know what to say - I kept them moist, shipped as soon as possible. Mine didn't make a second trip across country, so maybe that's why more survived at my end, though I didn't get them planted any sooner than you did, Janet, and 9kitty's were planted before mine.

Well, my question is this...do you think according to the email response, we should let me know "how many" did not make it? Like I told you before, I think the plants themselves and the root systems were not large enough to take the heat, and they did not send them packed with moisture of any kind either...so maybe they just succombed to the extreme heat we had at that time....

They were damp on arrival, wrapped in toweling and plastic.

Well, what do you think, my friend....lol should be pursue this or just let it go? We had quite a large order for so few to have survived. I just think it may have been too hot for them to make their trip .... and survive.

Were they still hydrated when they got to you? I agree, some should have lived, especially Susan's. It wasn't that hot yet when we got the order (same time as the Pacific Calla order).

I really don't remember except I do remember thinking the roots were not white and healthy looking...but like you, I am quite new to Siberian Iris, so I was not sure how they should look...I guessed that they were like TB Iris and would grow more roots and be fine...lol

I think you should let them know. From my experience, Ensata always sends out good plants. Maybe not the biggest but always healthy. I also purchased from the 2.00 sale, and all mine are still OK. However if you look at their watchdog rating, someone had trouble with them replacing them.

Janet, all of yours died? Did you purchase any others this year that are doing OK? I'll have lots to divide in the spring, and would be glad to send you some. You too Laura, but I don't have much hopes for them doing good in your area.

I'm good with what I have, polly, thank you for the offer.

I actually have some SI from the former owner-where they are planted is now gravel, but they try and try to grow up big. I've tried to dig them out, but that's impossible. Still, they come back and try to grow.

Polly, I will be surprised if I have even one that made it out of those iris...I am pretty sure Susan/Kittymom lost all of hers as well. She planted hers in pots and mine went into the garden. I honestly do not think they were viable when we got them...for whatever reason...the roots just didn't look "alive" to me.

Laura, do you want me to follow up with Ensata or do you want to do it...just let me know and if you have the original order in an email..let me know and I will be happy to contact them and see what they want us to do or what they are willing to do..if you will.

Polly, that you so much for the kind offer, I would love to have some of yours if you have some to spare.

Yes, I do have others I recently got from the co-op, they are on the porch in containers, and I checked the ones that looked like they are dormant already, the brown leaves...they all have white new roots on them, so I am hoping they are sending up some new growth as well...for the most part they all look pretty good.

ok, Janet. I'll see if I have it.
I have the packing list, at any rate.

Janet, I sent you a copy of the email order.

Janet, I will get a list to you as soon as I know what I'm going to divide. BTW, the iris you sent me are doing excellent. Thanks again.

Laura, if you have some that have been there, and are doing good, maybe you'll have better success than I thought. It'll be interesting to me to find out if they do well for you.

Yep; I've got 'em now, anyway. I bet they won't like the hot afternoon summer sun here, but it could be cold enough in the winter. Daffs do well, and so do lilacs, not peonies, at least not yet for me.

Make sure your peonies aren't planted too deep. That's the reason they normally fail.

hmmm...should I dig it up and replant it?

I had to dig my peonies up and replant them and it made the difference between blooms and no blooms. If your bulbs are more than 2 inches below the surface of the soil, I would raise them.

Ok. I won't know until I dig them how deep they are.