Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 56

FLOWER TIPS

What Bearded Irises Need
1. Good drainage and sun. Don't plant
bearded iris where the soil stays wet. For
bloom, give them sun. No need to water-or
to fertilize.
2. A good start. Before setting out, dig soil to
a depth of 18-24 inches and mix in
bonemeal.
3. Space. Plant single rhizomes 18 inches apart,
shallowly. Leave about half of the rhizome
exposed above the soil line. Plant any time, but
best in early spring or after flowering.
4. Division. Expect some bloom the year after
planting; better bloom for the next two-four
years. When bloom numbers dwindle and rhizomes become crowded, dig after bloom season ends. Separate rhizomes, throw away
puny, spent ones, and replant the best, following directions above. Give excess rhizomes
away.

Irises like this frilly white, a vigorous May bloomer, look best after
gentle rain bejewels their petals.

guishable from the beardless and the
bulbous by their "beards" - dense,
hairy lines along the midribs of their
lower petals - and by their growth
from fleshy rhizomes, thickened
underground stems from which their
roots sprout.
I've never bought an iris in my
life, and probably never will. Yet, like
Aunt Mary and my maternal grandfather, I have an abundance of them.
That's because irises take seriously
56 | BlueRidgeCountry.com

the Good Book's admonition to be
fruitful and multiply. I think I can
safely say that anyone who has irises
will be willing, if not eager, to share
them. Irises don't require much in
the way of upkeep, beyond clipping
the spent blooms, and the flower
stalks, once they've finished blooming. They make do with what they've
got, when it comes to soil and water.
But, to keep them blooming year
after year, you do have to divide

them. If you don't, they'll probably
survive for decades, but without
much bloom.
And the bloom is what you're
after, that drop-dead gorgeousness
that revives the landscape after the
daffodils and forsythia have faded.
The first of mine to bloom - pale violet blue beauties passed along to me
decades ago and divided by me
many times - begin flowering in
mid-April. Then come the pale yellows; the larger bicolors and whites
extend my iris season into June. If I
were to invest in irises, I could find
them in every color and size.
Generally, the smallest - dwarf
bearded iris (3-12 inches tall) -
bloom earliest; intermediates (12-18
inches) next; the tall (18-42 inches)
last. A few even bloom in fall,
though not reliably. Added to their
beauty, their ease in growing and
their long season, irises have another
outstanding virtue: deer don't like
them. This year, I'll be exchanging
irises for my deer-challenged daylilies and hostas - at least some of
them. 


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Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014

Letters / You Said It
From the Editor
From the Farm
BRC Unlocked
Mountain Report
Creasture Feature
Great Buys in the Mountains
The Hike
Festivals and Events
Country Roads
It’s Weird, It’s Wonderful, It’s Asheville!
Photoessay: The Waterfalls of Western North Carolina
Mountain Adventure: Where to Play, Where to Stay
One Day on the Parkway, 1987
Little Zoos, Big Fun
Mountain Garden
Flavors
Cabin in the Woods: The Farms Cabins and Cottages
Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Letters / You Said It
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - From the Editor
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 8
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - From the Farm
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - BRC Unlocked
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Mountain Report
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Creasture Feature
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Great Buys in the Mountains
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - The Hike
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Festivals and Events
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 20
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Country Roads
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 24
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - It’s Weird, It’s Wonderful, It’s Asheville!
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 26
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 28
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 30
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Photoessay: The Waterfalls of Western North Carolina
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 36
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 37
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 38
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Mountain Adventure: Where to Play, Where to Stay
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 41
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 42
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 43
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 44
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 46
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - One Day on the Parkway, 1987
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 50
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 51
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Little Zoos, Big Fun
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 53
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 54
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Mountain Garden
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 56
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Flavors
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 58
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 59
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 60
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 61
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Cabin in the Woods: The Farms Cabins and Cottages
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 63
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 64
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 65
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Guest Column
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - 67
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2014 - Cover3
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