Tall Bearded Iris 'English Cottage'

Very hardy plant here in Zone 6b, southeastern Pennsylvania. Began rebloom in mid-October 2009 and was still going strong in mid-Novembe...Read Morer 2009 with an excess of 7 blooms - and this is only the first full season I've had the iris. Strong scent of grapesicle (like a grape popsicle).

Very few tall beardeds (TBs) can survive my growing conditions. This northern MN zone 3b climate inflicts severe, extended cold during t...Read Morehe winter months, often with little snow cover for insulation. Summer temps can exceed 90 degrees F. My soil is very heavy, compacted clay with a slightly acid pH. A large local deer population frequently tramples and sometimes grazes on my irises in early spring and late fall. Iris borers are present but managed successfully with a granular systemic grub control product. Weeds are abundant and only occasionally beaten back by an admittedly lazy gardener (yours truly). Fertilization is inconsistent, when provided at all. Most TBs here are growing with less than 6 hrs of sun per day, so growth and bloom are not what they could be under full sun conditions. I have lost hundreds of weaker TB cultivars over the years, so the few that have managed to survive are worthy of high praise.

ENGLISH COTTAGE has behaved surprisingly in my garden. A rhizome planted in a raised bed with reasonably friable soil in full sun rotted away without increasing or blooming, while the rhizome planted in level, heavy, compacted clay with minimal sun remained perfectly healthy and increased like mad into a large clump with abundant bloom in spring 2003 (though that was the first bloom this cultivar has produced since planting in 2000). It's possible the rz in the raised bed was attacked by borers, however, which may explain its failure under what should have been much better growing conditions. In any event, this cultivar's ability to survive and bloom in my clay beds has convinced me of its toughness and value as a cold-climate garden iris.

EC's flowers are large, lovely, and irresistibly fragrant. A clump of EC in bloom can perfume an entire garden. This cultivar also blooms over a long period and has been reported to rebloom in USDA zones 5-9.

Laurie