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A pleasant surprise blooming today! Bearded Iris "Holy Night"

jason83
11 years ago

This is a bearded iris known as "Holy Night" - it's the 4th time it has bloomed this year. I just love it when I get surprise blooms from things, but I never would have expected this! It must be some kind of record or something. I even transplanted these things in the beginning of summer!

It receives partial shade during the hottest part of the day. I made the mistake of planting the rhizomes on the surface, but it's clear that with the sandy soil they should be buried a little bit deeper. Our FL climate is unlike most of Florida - we don't receive a whole lot of rain out here. I would recommend giving Holy Night a try in Florida if you've ever wanted to give irises a try. :)

Comments (8)

  • RetiredFlorida
    11 years ago

    Gorgeous flower Jason. Love to have surprises like that! I planted a bunch I was kindly given by a member here but have to wait til spring...... I see them growing taller everyday, hoping....

    Darren

  • jason83
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    You should be rewarded by a spectacular display of blooms come spring, I'm sure of that! :)

    Is your soil sandy? How do you have them planted?

  • RetiredFlorida
    11 years ago

    Jason,

    Not sure I remember it has been a few months,I'm far from a source of good info on these. I believe I planted them slightly under the surface of the ground and from what I see that is common for rhizomes........at least my ginger are grown that way too....someone please correct me if I'm wrong ;-) Actually my ginger is on top of the soil, half buried.

    I do favor iris and since these were "special" they are close to my front door as you can see. This is the north side of the house and they won't get full sun but I'm hoping they'll get enough. I know they are not languishing even in winter, they look really good.

    Yes my soil is fairly sandy, isn't all of Florida, haha? The hardest part is figuring out how to put all the plants I love close to my front door....

    Darren

  • jason83
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Looking good :)
    In no time they'll fill in completely.
    Even with the sandy, barren soil, you can expect great results with that bed since you're mulching. As the mulch breaks down and you keep topping it off with more mulch, the bed will absolutely thrive.
    I suppose if you wanted more plants around the door, a windowbox under the window could work. Some hanging baskets. How about a trellis on the wall adjacent to the window? Or maybe some planter boxes / gutters, 3 or 4 rows of them on the wall, with colorful flowers just spilling out of them? OK that might be a bit *too* crazy haha! :)

    ...or maybe not...!!! :)

  • garyfla_gw
    11 years ago

    Hi
    Do you happen to know which strain?? Must be a repeat flower.?. I grow several species of Iris .Apostle, louisianna,Brazilian and Spanish but can't get the bearded or siberian ,japanese to grow . tend to waste away without the cold rest period. My favorite flower !! lol gary

  • katkin_gw
    11 years ago

    I tried the bearded ones too, but I believe the nematodes got to them. I loved them and grew many colors that I brought with me from NJ when I moved here.

  • RetiredFlorida
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestions Jason. The plants relegated to the front yard I want to cram into that small space where the iris are.....haha.

    Yeah, very good idea about more trellis. That is in the works.

    Darren

  • jason83
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Gary, the bearded iris in the picture is called "Holy Night." In my soil and climate, they do far better when the rhizomes are buried in the ground a little bit, close to the surface. The sun is too hot on the rhizomes. I planted a row of many different varieties, and the length of the bed extends into an area that receives partial shade. The portion of this row that is in the shade, the irises do far better.
    Down here in Florida it seems Full Sun for us = Part Sun. :)