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siberian, japanese, or bearded? which is better?
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Posted by organicgardenlover 5 (My Page) on Sun, Aug 23, 09 at 17:59
| Hello. I have tried growing irises, and not done very well. I am now willing to give it another go. About 3, 4, or 5 years ago, I was given some varagated bearded irises (either germimanica "Zebra" or pallida Argintina Variegata") from a friend. They bloomed nicely when I got them and the next year, so I stupidly thought that they were happy and bought a bunch more and some Siberians. However, they never bloomed. They had been in part sun, so I thought that was the problem, but now another bearded Iris called "Harvest of Memories" (or something like that) that I picked up around the same year bloomed this year. So did a Blue Flag Iris that I put near the varigated irises. I'd like to try again, maybe in a sunnier location, but would like to know the pros and cons of the Siberians, Japanese, and Beardeds. I'd also like to know if possible what went wrong. Please let me know your thoughts. |
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RE: siberian, japanese, or bearded? which is better?
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| Beardeds need 6 hrs. sun minimum plus good drainage! They do not like acid soil or constantly moist soil. Japanese love acid soil plus lots of water. Full sun. Siberians will need regular watering until established. Full sun. Don't remember if they're acid lovers. Google will bring up culture info. Many iris need a couple of years to settle in and begin blooming properly. They also need feeding with low nitrogen fertilizer. Beardeds travel and need division periodically. Japn.& Sibs. form more of an vertical clump. I live in the land of perpetual drought with alkaline water so I only indulge in a couple of Japanese. Beardeds suit this climate better. Plus I love them. Go with what you love. |
RE: siberian, japanese, or bearded? which is better?
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| Very good information from Iris Gal. I grow all 3. The Japanese iris require a lot of watering and fertilizer to grow well. It seems that the tall bearded require a lot of weeding, and the leaves can start to look pretty bad after blooming, requires spraying for leaf spot, trimming leaves, etc, but they are so beautiful in bloom. The Siberians are my favorite because they are the easiest for me to take care of. They grow best with lots of fertilizer and water, but not as much care as the other two, and the leaves stay pretty and green all year. Shadow |
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