Siberian Irises - Varieties And Features

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Beautiful and unpretentious irises for our flower beds

Irises, often called orchids by gardeners, are no longer new to us. Gardens typically cultivate numerous varieties of large-flowered bearded irises, so called for the beard-like soft, bristly outgrowths on the lower petals.

But bearded irises are southerners in origin, and therefore it is not easy to grow them: they are not hardy enough, prone to rot, demanding on the place of landing and care. Recently, flower growers all over the world have literally captured a craze for a fundamentally new "type" of irises - champions in vitality, united under the collective name "Siberian irises".

They also came to our country, turned out to be very suitable for the local, far from the most comfortable places for floriculture, and arouse more and more interest among fans of decorative floriculture.

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The name of the group "Siberian" was given by our domestic wild species of Siberian iris, which is one of the main ancestors of already numerous varieties of this type. The people of the Siberian iris have long been lovingly called "kosatik" (leaves like a scythe), "orca", then - "kasatik". The word "iris" (translated from Greek - rainbow) appeared in Russia only at the end of the 19th century, which is why, by the way, garden irises are still often called "irises".

Siberian wild iris, like a true Siberian, is absolutely winter-hardy, unpretentious, resistant to diseases, and it fully transfers these qualities to its offspring. This was appreciated by pragmatic Americans, and while our growers diversified only the varieties of bearded irises, they launched work on breeding Siberian iris. The result exceeded all expectations, and now a whole galaxy of excellent varieties has been obtained. But this did not happen immediately and not suddenly.

Work with Siberian iris began at the end of the century before last. At first, things somehow did not go well, and by 1900 only 17 varieties were registered. After the creation in 1957 of one of the best varieties to this day - White Swirl, some kind of high-speed conveyor seemed to have started in the selection of Siberian iris, annually producing dozens of new varieties, the number of which today has probably already approached a thousand.

Unlike bearded irises, Siberian irises, due to their lack of a beard, are usually called beardless. But the point is not so much in this difference, but in a completely different appearance and decorative properties of the plant itself. Siberian iris, even in its original form, is so beautiful that experienced flower growers have adorned gardens with its forms for a long time. A pair of tall, lush bushes "Siberian" with beautifully curving narrow leaves and graceful flowers, as it were, soaring above them, grows in my garden.

Once I brought them from the Siberian taiga. And what has not happened to them in these few decades: they survived all frosty winters, and flood covered them, and they fell under the scythe in a thick cover more than once, and, I confess, they did not see leaving, poor fellows - all hands did not reach. And they bloom for themselves every year, delighting with the grace of flowers that resemble bright, tropical butterflies, fluttering over the green foliage.

But the color of wild Siberian iris flowers varies only within violet-blue. To diversify it, breeders crossed the Siberian species of iris with other species and varieties that are also in this group and also beardless, and created the color of all colors of the rainbow, except red. There are varieties with multi-colored petals, and with bright edges, and with feathery patterns.

The timing of the beginning of flowering of Siberian irises is not much different from the usual. But one of its flowers lives for 4-5 days, while the flowers of the bearded ones - only 1-2 days. This is what determines the long flowering period of Siberians: the flowering period of one plant with unbranched two-flowered peduncles is about 10 days, with branching ones even longer. Since there are early and late varieties, the total flowering period reaches six weeks. Only the flowers do not have any smell, and this is now a “headache” for breeders seeking to create aromatic varieties.

Due to the high, up to one and a half meters, and slender peduncles, a sufficiently long life of the flower and the convenience of decorating in bouquets, unlike large-flowered irises, Siberian irises are good for cutting.

Still, the fashion for Siberian irises was determined not only by their wonderful decorative properties, but, first of all, by more reliable cultivation in comparison with ordinary irises.

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Bearded irises are capricious: they bloom only in a sunny place, they do not withstand clay soils, and even more so - excessive moisture, in winter they can grow out under the snow, and freeze without snow, require some shelter. For years, they may not bloom, and only because somewhere else in their embryonic form, a flowering shoot has been damaged, and often because of a lack of summer heat, it is not laid at all. Their worst enemy is bacteriosis, also called wet rot, which is why they not only rot, but often perish in whole plantations.

Siberian irises do not know any of these troubles. Their most important advantage is their high resistance to low temperatures. Due to this, they not only bloom annually in regions where bearded irises have been traditionally cultivated for a long time, but can also be grown in more northern regions.

No less valuable is the resistance of Siberians to the scourge of bearded irises - bacteriosis, and therefore they do not know rot. In addition, with their powerful root system, they improve the soil, and therefore they are even specially planted on a site infected with bacteriosis for 3-4 years in order to weaken the destructive effect of the disease on the future planting of bearded irises planned here.

Siberian irises are also attractive for their wind resistance, which is why their peduncles, unlike bearded ones, do not need a garter. They multiply easily and grow rapidly.

In the wild, Siberian iris grows in damp, "uncomfortable" places, therefore, in culture, varieties derived from it are able to grow safely and bloom profusely in semi-shady, humid parts of the garden and far from the most fertile soil, but the rhizomes do not withstand drying.

Siberian iris is propagated by dividing rhizomes. This can be done in the spring at the beginning of leaf growth or in the summer, two to three weeks after flowering. Delenki are planted, in comparison with bearded irises, deeper.

It is very sad that our domestic flower, in an updated form, represented by excellent varieties, is coming to our gardens from abroad, and not from domestic breeders. Unfortunately, even the work that had just begun with him was practically stopped. But, as usually happens in such cases, true enthusiasts become collectors, keepers and propagandists of new promising plants.

It would be a mistake to refuse the usual, albeit capricious, but unusually exotic and beautiful bearded irises. Plant both those and other plants in your garden, and soon you will be able to decide for yourself what and in what ratio to leave in the flower beds.