Showing posts with label perennials with irises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perennials with irises. Show all posts

Monday, January 14, 2019

Irises as Part of the Perennial Border


By Kevin Vaughn

I grew up in Massachusetts in the AIS of the 60’s and when we went on tours the iris were not grown like a corn field but rather as a part of a garden picture. 
'Cup Race' was one of the famous irises to come out of the Stedman Buttrick garden.
Image courtesy of Schreiner's Iris Gardens.
Some of these gardens were impressive beyond words.  Leola Fraim’s, Miriam Corey’s and Stedman Buttrick’s gardens were amazing collections of irises but housed with an equally impressive array of other perennials.  Almost every garden had three perennials that bloomed essentially along with the irises. Peonies, in shades of rose and pink, were used to complement the abundant blues of the irises, and were especially effective against clumps of blue Siberian irises.  The peonies were large enough that they could almost be used as shrubs in these borders.  Oriental poppies were very much the rage in that era. The Fischer Oriental poppies brought to the public a range of colors and forms that had not been seen previously.   Clean pinks, whites, and raspberry shades were now in the palette of colors available to the gardener in addition to the more vibrant (and less easy to use in landscaping) oranges and reds.   When the Countess von Stein Zeppelin visited from Germany, she was so impressed that she negotiated with Mr. Fischer for seeds and plants of hers so that she could develop her own strain for European gardeners. In Massachusetts, lupines were almost weeds (in fact they have naturalized in places in Maine) and the Russell strain offered clear colors and much better density of the flowers on the heads than in previous strains.  One plant that was popular in Massachusetts at that time was the gas plant (Dictamnus).  Mrs. Corey had actually crossed the dark rose and white strains and had several unusual shades of white veined pink and clear pink.  These are very solid plants. One of the fond memories of my youth in Massachusetts was blooming a seedling from Mrs. Corey’s strain and also lighting the gas with a match.  Odd that you don’t see them more used today.

Besides what we were observing at iris peak almost every one of these gardens featured daffodils and other spring bulbs, daylilies and towards the shadier portions, hosta.  In many cases, these “other companion plants” became interests of their owners too and almost everyone dabbed a little pollen from one of these groups as well as the iris.  Consequently, the collections of these plants were also state of the art.  A visit to these gardens even before or after iris peak was still a treat.

All of these yards had another component that most of us don’t think of as part of the garden: beautiful pristine lawns that bordered every bed.  Lawns are like the frame on the picture. They offer a refreshing green that cools the effect of the garden and sets off all the plantings.   In the Buttrick garden, these lawns flowed gently down to the banks of the scenic Concord River.

Polly Bishop, who was my mentor, had a lovely perennial garden, although not on the scale of the bigger gardens in Region 1.  She had crossed pansies with Johnny jump-ups to create a strain of hardy hybrids that self-sowed and blanketed the irises and bloomed throughout the year.  These were shallow-rooted plants and provided a living mulch around the bearded irises in the winter. In Polly’s garden, hardy succulents such a sedums and hens-and-chickens, were used to highlight the beds as well as many other rock garden type plants. These plants liked the same sharp-drained soil conditions as the bearded irises and added interest in both foliage and in flower.

Admittedly, that it is MUCH easier to manage irises in rows in terms of cultivation.  You can’t run a rototiller through a perennial border!  One only has to look at the magnificent display gardens at Schreiner’s here in Salem Oregon to see how effective irises can be as part of a much bigger picture.  I’m talking to myself somewhat here too.  Although I don’t do corn rows, I do use raised beds chiefly of bearded irises.  The spurias and Siberians are much more integrated into the borders and the Pacific Coast Natives are incorporated into the shade borders.  Now to work on those bearded beds Kevin!


Monday, December 2, 2013

"Talking Irises" TALL BEARDED IRIS AND COMPANION PLANTS PART II

Susanne Holland Spicker

Here's Part II of some of my favorite companion plants with my tall bearded irises. I love experimenting with different color combinations in the beds. By combining a variety of companion plants, as well as complimentary, or harmonious combinations of tall bearded irises, the beds provide a nice palette of color, as well as a long bloom season by using early, mid and late bloomers that flower at the same time as other perennials in the gardens. The beds are always a work in progress--I evaluate my beds each year at this time and make changes where I want to replace older varieties with newer iris hybrids or add any favorites from my long "wish list."
I love the colors in this yellow, pink and blue bed:  
Tall bearded irises "Skywalker," "Tulip Festival," "Edith
Wolford," "Aegean Wind,"
and "Out of the Blues" with
companion plants Singing in the Rain Itoh peony, assorted
lupine, hybrid tea rose New Day, clematis Josephine,
assorted pansies and petunias, and herbaceous peony
Mons. Jules Eli. 

The striking colors of tall bearded irises "Salzburg Echo," 
"Spiced Custard," "Supreme Sultan," "Dazzling Gold,"
 "Taco Supreme," "Throb," "Flamenco," "Mulled Wine," 
and "Tiger Honey" with companion plants early gladiola, 
lupine, Bela Lugosi and various daylilies and poppy Harlem

Bold and Beautiful!  Tall bearded irises "Bold Expression," 
"Dreamcake," "Close Up," and "Ringo," with 
companion plants rosy purple pulsatilla, Caribbean 
Crush verbascum, Fascination Hybrid tea rose, 
 poppy, America climbing rose, and lilac
A favorite bed of subtle yellows and blues:  
Tall bearded irises "Good Hope," "Absolute Treasure,"
 "Grecian Skies," "Edith Wolford," "Bertwhistle,"
"Lavender Luck," "Wedding Candles" and "On Edge"
with companion plants assorted pansies, Blue Star 
columbine,yellow, blue and white lupine, Crystal 
Fountain clematis, dwarf Snow Lady daisy, Konigskind 
clematis, tradescantia, High Noon tree peony, 
Silver Beauty Dutch iris, and hybrid tea rose Sunblest

This bed always stands out: Tall bearded irises "Aristocracy,"
 "Artist's Time," "Ever After," and "Bubbling Over" with 
companion plants Elisabeth variegated phlox, pansies, 
single late tulip Don Quixote, heartleaf bergenia, 
Jacob's Ladder, bleeding heart, and assorted pansies

I love these rose and apricot colors together:
Tall bearded irises "Discretion," "Naples," "Mystic's
Muse,"
"Magharee," "Aphrodisiac," and "Role Model," 

with companion plants assorted lupine, and apricot peony

What are some of your favorite combinations?  I'd love to
hear from you!