Spring has arrived…we think. It sure is hard to know these days, isn’t it? Here in the Midwest, we’ve experienced temperatures as low as 3 degrees F and as high as 80, all within the last month! One of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received lately has to do with the growth habits of spring-blooming bulbs, especially those of tulips. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard from gardeners “My tulips are beautiful, but I expected them to be much taller!” over the past few weeks. So what is the problem with tulips this year?

Tulip bulbs, like most other fall-planted bulbs such as hyacinth, daffodils, and allium, require a “chilling period” of anywhere from 8-16 weeks with temperatures consistently 55 degrees F or below. If any of these bulbs fail to receive the adequate amount of chilling or have an interruption of warmth during this chilling period, the process within the bulb that produces the bloom is thrown a bit off. Considering that over 75% of the United States had average temperatures at least 5 degrees ABOVE normal during January 2012 alone (check out this map provided in an article appearing in Times Union), many bulbs (as well as other plants) did not receive a typical “winter”. Unfortunately, in the case of tulips, this can mean the difference between a plant reaching its appropriate height while producing a beautiful bloom and it growing with only a weak display of a few sparse leaves with a shortened flower stem. Therefore, while it’s not a fun conclusion to come to, it should not be extremely surprising that many tulips are not performing as expected this spring season considering the “winter” many parts of the country did, or rather did not, receive.

So they say knowledge is power, right? Now that we maybe understand why this happened, what can we as gardeners do about it? Unfortunately, the answer is not much. Considering the lack of control we have over the weather conditions and patterns, there is no way to create an artificial environment for your plants and bulbs planted outdoors unless you were somehow able to encapsulate your entire landscape in the confines of a bubble, similar to the houses the Jetsons resided in. The best thing you can do for you tulips is give them patience, keeping in mind that even though their show may be less than satisfactory this year, they still need to progress through the stages of sprouting, blooming, and then entering into dormancy. This means leaving the foliage in the ground until it has dried and browned to a point when it can be easily removed from the bulb without causing any uprooting. This will allow the plant to continue to make food for the bulb, encouraging lush growth and blooms for the following season. Once they complete their cycle this spring and summer, they will (hopefully) receive a proper fall and winter this coming year and return bigger and better than ever in the spring of 2013.

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

P.S. Feel like you missed out on the spring show of bulbs this year due to the odd weather? Why not try some spring-planted bulbs and enjoy blooms this summer!

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.”by Robert Burns

This quote couldn’t be more fitting for me today. Some of you may remember the post I wrote back at the end of September entitled “To Bouquet or not to Bouquet” in which I described two different methods of planting. In this post, I included photos from my own planting expedition in my front yard. I planted over 300 bulbs that day of a variety of types, heights, and colors and boy was I proud of myself!

After a long afternoon of dirt and dust, digging and “troweling”, I rewarded myself to an evening of laying on the floor, playing with my girls and resting my tired muscles, all the time well-aware of the fact that I still had a bucket of bulbs sitting on the back steps waiting to be planted. This bucket of bulbs included a mixture of muscari and scilla, a beautiful combination which I intended to plant in a layer above the more deeply-planted tulip bulbs. As I lay there on the floor with crumbs of Goldfish crackers in my hair, I promised myself I would get the rest of those bulbs planted within the next day or two.

Unfortunately, life got in the way and days turned to weeks and weeks to months. It is now the beginning (almost middle, eek!) of December and I have yet to revisit my landscape. While filling the bird feeder the other day, I happened upon that bucket of beautiful bulbs and noticed something different about them: not ONE SCILLA bulb remained! The gorgeous blue-purple outer covering lay in shards all over the porch steps but hardly any resemblance of  anything “plantable”.

It’s no mystery what caused the disappearance of my scilla bulbs. We have more squirrels than you can shake a stick at in my yard (and believe me, I do!) and while they provide endless entertainment for my 17-month old daughters, I would prefer they not mess with my gardening expeditions. All of this time, I’ve known scilla to be deer resistant, which I simply assumed meant rodent resistant, too. Apparently not MY rodents. The good news is, they left the muscari completely untouched! Smart little buggers…I guess I can’t be too mad at them. After all, if I had just gotten myself back out in the dirt as I had originally intended, they might have lived to see another day. Instead, I practically spread a tablecloth on the back porch steps and lit dinner candles for them to enjoy.

So the moral of this story is two-fold. Number one: rodents eat scilla. No doubt about it. Number two: my new take on the above-mentioned quote is “The best laid plans of men often go astray because of squirrels.”

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

(photo credit: Heather Palmer)

This week has been a dreary one here in southeastern Wisconsin…and for more reasons than one. The rain hasn’t let up much here this week (I learned last night while watching the weather report that some nearby areas have received in excess of 5″ since Sunday!) and this afternoon has been the first that I’ve seen the sun for more than a half hour since Monday. However, the weather has matched the mood as I lost my grandma on Tuesday after a long fight with Parkinson’s.

Needless to say, the last few days have been quite reflective for me. In thinking about my grandma, I’m reminded of her laugh, her great breakfasts while visiting the cottage every summer, the fishing poles we used as kids to rescue items from her birdbath, our large consumption of popsicles while watching The Wizard of Oz for the billionth time at her house, and countless other things. While traveling down memory lane, I recalled the house my grandpa and grandma purchased later in life on a lake. When I think of this house and the good times spent there, one aspect of it always comes to the forefront of my mind: Annabelle Hydrangeas. Along the front of their modest lake home, the hydrangeas spread with blooms so large atop their stems they would sometimes bend over under the weight of them. Being no more than ten years old at the time, my love affair with plants had only just begun. Therefore, I was completely oblivious to the name or type of plant these were. All I knew was that my grandma LOVED them and therefore, so did I.

My grandma was a smart lady in many ways and her love of hydrangeas was no exception. Hydrangeas are one of the easiest, more versatile, shrubs to grow in somewhat cooler climates of the mid and upper parts of the country, coming in a variety of colors and “cultivars” (different cultivated varieties for color, height, and habit). Most varieties top out at about 3-4′ in height and width. They can be easily recognized by their large, spherical or panicular-type clusters of flowers which bloom from mid-summer to early fall. Hydrangea flowers also make great additions to fresh, as well as dry floral arrangements. For a neat and tidy appearance, hydrangeas can be cut back within 6″ of the ground (rejuvenate pruning) in late fall or early spring. Hydrangeas can be planted in the spring or fall. However, if you are planting them during the fall season, be sure to choose one of adequate size (I would recommend a 3 gallon pot or larger) so that the root system is adequate enough to handle the cold winter temperatures.

I find it interesting that this should have such an impact on me so shortly after writing my post about The Violets of March book in which I talked about the memories that can be sparked by a part of nature. So I’m curious to know: what flower or plant brings back a memory for you?

We’ve all been there at the weddings, the showers, the corporate events and seminars. And the “thank you for coming” gifts or favors always seem to run in the same vein: a cheaply made bag with a company logo, a useless decoration inscribed with the bride and groom’s names, a small bottle of lotion emanating a scent you can barely stomach. While all of these gifts are nice gestures and no-doubt caused an extra dose of effort by the organizer of the event, they are all, in my opinion, somewhat a waste of time and effort.

A recent new trend in “event planning” is the distribution of flower bulbs as the favor of “thank you for coming” gift!  Now THAT’S something we can all use! This works especially well for events occuring during the fall months as the fall-planted bulbs are the easiest to grow in most areas and look the “prettiest” in bulb form . Here a few ideas on how you can incorporate the idea of “bulb giving” in your next event:

source: www.charlestonmag.com

Package a single large or several smaller bulbs in a gift bag for favors at your wedding, bridal or baby shower! Bulbs make excellent little gifts when packaged into small gossamer bags of a color matching the wedding or shower theme. Or, purchase small boxes similar to Chinese takeout containers and fill them with tissue paper prior to placing the bulbs inside. You can even use bulbs which will produce a bloom similar to the event color, such as red for the true love at a wedding or light pink or blue for the gender of the soon-to-arrive little one. What could be nicer than reminding your guests about your wedding or baby next spring when their bulbs burst forth in bloom?! The flower bulbs that work the best for these applications are larger bulbs such as tulips and daffodils or smaller bulbs such as crocus or dutch iris. Stay away from hyacinth as these bulbs produce a dust that causes many people’s skin to itch. For the lowest price per bulbs, look for those sold in bulk or value packages.

Give bulbs to each attendant of your next corporate event, seminar, or presentation! Again, a similar concept as the wedding or shower, but a nice sentiment to offer your attendees. This can be combined with a catchy phrase such as “Thanks for helping us grow!” or “Because of you, we are experiencing blooming success!”. May sound a little cheesy, but trust me: the recipients will love you for it!

Go all out and provide your wedding or shower guests with an entire “bulb buffet” to indulge in! Now a bulb buffet…many of you may be wondering what the heck is that??? One of the latest trends at weddings is having some sort of “cupcake” or “candy buffet” in which the couple’s guests can pick and choose what they would like from a buffet of sorts. This not only eliminates the need to individually prepare favors for each and every guest, but it also insures that only the guests which want to partake in the favor do. A “bulb buffet” is no different! Instead of giving a bulb to every man, woman, and child who attends (which can get quite costly and labor intensive), set up a table of different varieties of bulbs! Provide a “menu” at the end of the table, listing all of the choices given. Next to each type of bulb, create a tag of some sort identifying that particular bulb and possibly giving some quick information about it. Then provide your guests with attractive bags or pails or boxes of some sort to take their selections home with them! It’s up to you what you would like to offer to your guests: it could be bulbs all of the same color to go along with them of your event and maybe it’s all tulips because that’s the bride or mother’s favorite color. The possibilities are ENDLESS! To make the planning of your first bulb buffet as simply as possible, the folks at Holland Bulb Farms have put together a “pre-made buffet” which can easily be ordered all at once and then set up however you’d like! This particular assortment is perfect for an event with 50-75 guests. Check out this fun, new item here.

Regardless of which option you try, remember to educate your guests on what to do with the bulbs once they have them home. Provide brief instructions on a attractively designed tag or small card attached to the packaging. I guarantee you, your guests will NOT be disappointed!

With hands in the dirt and head in the clouds,

The weather here in the upper Midwest has been pretty perfect for being outside: warm sun, dry air, cool nights…more than a gardening girl like me could ever ask for! So over the past few days, I’ve stolen a few hours to myself to get outside and get my spring-blooming bulbs in the ground. After all, it just isn’t right that the house of the horticulturalist is absent of color in the spring.

Therefore, I went about my task of adding over 300 bulbs of different varieties to our front landscape. Considering our house has a very traditional, colonial look, I wanted to stick with some very classic, bold colors. My selections included Red Apeldoorn Darwin Hybrid Tulips, Dutch Master Daffodils, Tete-a-Tete Miniature Daffodils (one of my fave flowers of ALL-TIME), and then a mixture of Grape Hyacinth Muscari and Scilla. While planting, I decided to demonstrate two methods of planting bulbs: the row or one-bulb-per-hole method and the bouquet method. Determining which one you’ll use when planting your bulbs really depends on the look you are going for. In this post, I’ll explain the differences in each method and how to go about achieving both.

Row or One-Bulb-Per-Hole Method
I think the implications of this method are pretty obviously simply by reading the name. This is the method which most gardeners use and think when planting bulbs. In this method, a single hole is simply dug for each bulb to be planted. This hole is dug to the appropriate depth for the variety of bulb (typically 2-3 times the height of the bulb) and not much wider than the bulb itself. The bulb is then placed in the bottom of the hole, pointed-side up if applicable, and then the hole filled with dirt. If planting in this method, it is somewhat more important to make use of a tape measure in determining where to dig the next hole. Obviously, these measurements don’t have to be exactly the same, but with a few inches is important to give you the uniform look you are going for. If planting multiple rows, staggering your planting (planting holes on a diagonal) will give a much fuller look and appear less like soldiers standing at attention.

This method is very good in applications where a “formal” look is desired. Since all of the bulbs will be evenly spaced, it can also be good in large areas where a massing or “sea of color” is desired. The drawbacks to this method is that precision of measurements is a tad more important and the planting itself takes more time and involves more labor.

Bouquet Method
Again, the name of this method gives away much of the idea behind it. In this method, instead of planting one bulb per hole, a larger hole is dug and an odd number of bulbs is placed in the bottom. This method achieves more of a natural-looking “bouquet” of blooms in the landscape rather than evenly spaced blooms. For instance, if planting a large number of tulip bulbs, a hole approximately 10-12″ across and 6-8″ deep would be dug. Five to seven tulip bulbs would then be placed, pointed-side up, in the bottom of the hole and the hole filled in. When placing the bulbs in the bottom of the hole, all rules of spacing go out the window. Personally, this is the method in which I typically plant and I always just make sure that the hole is dug large enough so that the bulbs are not touching. When digging these larger holes, it is important to create as flat of a bottom to the hole as possible (a shape resembling that of a soup can) so that all of the bulbs in the hole are planted at the same depth. This can be somewhat challenging to accomplish, especially when using a spaded shovel with a pointed end. You may find it helpful to use a pointed-spade shovel when digging the majority of the hole but then switching to a flat or straight shovel to level the bottom. One big advantage of planting in bouquets is that as long as you are working with bulbs of similar planting depth requirements (such as tulips and daffodils or grape hyacinth and scilla), you can feel free to mix them up within the same hole to achieve a longer bloom time and a bigger varieties of blooms in the same area without leaving space between them as you would in the row method.

This method works excellent in areas where a natural, more “free-form” look is desired. Planting in bouquets is also much more manageable when working around other existing plants, structures, or along a wooded edge. The drawbacks of this method include the requirement of larger tools (I personally would hate to dig holes this large with a simple hand trowel) and the necessity of a little larger space to create such a large hole. It also is a little bit more of an investment as it typically calls for a larger number of bulbs.

Hope all of that made sense. It’s kind of a difficult concept to explain and therefore, I’ve included lots of pictures to illustrate the two differing methods. I know one thing is for certain: I can hardly wait to enjoy the results of my labor next spring! Also, Holland Bulb Farms has developed a special collection of the bulbs I’ve used in my front yard this year so you can watch your bulbs grow along with mine! I obviously, highly recommend the color and flower combination.

Until next time,

I’ve heard the term “Red Ribbon Week” many times in the past but it wasn’t until recently that I really learned what it was. For those of you who, like me, may have heard of this event but only have a vague idea of what it is, I thought I’d fill you in. Red Ribbon Week (RRW) is an awareness campaign annually takes place during the last full week of October. This week-long campaign provides multiple opportunities for students, parents, teachers and others to join together to address the alcohol, tobacco, other drug and violence related issues or concerns in their community.

The History of Red Ribbon Week

In 1985, Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena of the Drug Enforcement Administration was brutally kidnapped, tortured, and murdered after uncovering a multimillion dollar narcotics manufacturing operation in Chihuahua, Mexico. This discovery led to the eradication of this and many other large drug operations in Mexico. The news of these events could be heard and read throughout the media in the United States, uncovering the dark world of drug trafficking and raising awareness of the deep problems it causes. Soon after, Camarena’s hometown in California began wearing red ribbons in honor of his sacrifice and support of his cause. They became a voice for prevention in order to reduce the demand for illegal drugs and illegal use of legal drugs in America. The next year, California adopted the Red Ribbon Week campaign and in 1988, it was nationally recognized with President Ronald and First Lady Nancy Reagan serving as the first Honorary Chairs. Currently, the RRW campaign is the largest, most visible recognized awareness campaign in the United States.

Gardening and Red Ribbon Week

So now that  you know what Red Ribbon Week is, you may be wondering: why write a blog about it here? Well, like many things in life, this important week can be tied into your garden planning as well! Many communities, schools, and other children’s groups participate in mass plantings of red flowering bulbs (in particular, tulips) during the Red Ribbon Week. Not only is planting bulbs with your children a great activity for a nice fall day, but it also opens the door to an otherwise sometimes awkward conversation regarding the problems with drugs and alcohol in our current society. Just because your child’s school may not participate in any Red Ribbon Week activities, doesn’t mean you can’t at home! Plan on getting some red tulips so you’re all set by the time October rolls around!

Until next time,

Have a comment to share with other readers? Feel free to post below. Have a question specifically for Bridget? Feel free to email her at bridget@bulbblog.com!

The book is “The Violets of March” by fairly new author, Sarah Jio. The majority of the novel takes place on Bainbridge Island in Washington where Emily, a young woman going through some less-than happy times in her life, visits her great aunt while longing to find peace and understanding. Even though I originally became interested in this novel as a result of the praise from one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult, I was even more interested when I read the title. After all, what novel with reference to a flower in its name could be bad? I quickly picked up a copy and could barely put it down once I started it. Three days later I turned the last page and breathed a sign of complete contentment.

Without giving much of the story away, there is a point in the book where some of its characters happen upon some wild violets. The discovery of these violets leads to a remembrance of a past life, a dear friend who no longer graces the characters’ lives. I personally found it interesting that the wild violets were the plants this new author chose since so many references to it on the internet are in regards to how to get rid of these little beauties. Personally, seeing them pop up in my lawn or garden areas has always put a smile on my face.

As fellow gardeners, I am confident that most if not all of my readers will be able to appreciate the significance the violets have in the book. It is another reminder about just how powerful a connection to a particular plant or bloom can be to a memory, a feeling, a place. So treat yourself to a new read and after you’ve spent a few minutes (or hours) laboring in your garden, come in and relax with a good book. I promise that you won’t be disappointed! And perhaps, there is a plant that sparks a memory in you which you could add to your garden this fall!

Until next time,

Some of you may remember back in July when Holland Bulb Farms brought back their oh-so popular “Trivia Month” on their facebook page. One of the trivia questions centered around my blog article “Garden Makeover: Bridget Edition” and promised the winner a blog post featuring THEIR garden! The lucky winner was Seth Denny, 24-year old of Austin, Minnesota.

The Gardener

Seth remembers his first gardening experience when he was just 4 years old. He recalls helping his mom dig up what soil he could from the garden and also recalls his first trip to the greenhouse. It was there that he picked out a Bergenia (GREAT choice!) and his love affair with plants began. He started his own gardening journey just last year when he moved into his current apartment. Seth gardens because of the joy it brings to himself and others. “No one can feel bad when they look into a sea of pink, purple, and white floral beauty!” he says.

Due to the third-shift nature of his job, Seth says he finds himself in his garden most often times in the early morning hours. What a beautiful time to be out in the garden! I have often fantasized about doing the same: sneaking out of the house before my girlies wake and getting some much needed garden therapy in before the day begins. Unfortunately for me, it never gets much past the fantasy Seth’s work schedule affords him almost all of the daylight he could desire and says he spends an average of 2 hours each day out in his garden performing various tasks of pruning, weeding, and watering. When he’s not in the garden, he enjoys hiking and biking, and an occasional card or video game on the rainy days. He is also kept busy by tending to his aquariums and his two feline friends, Meg and Hermie.

The Garden

Seth’s “apartment” is hardly one at all but a mid-nineteenth century farmhouse which has been converted into four separate dwelling units. What a great place to rent! Seth says that when he first moved in last April, the surroundings were nothing more than remnants of the previous dweller’s work from many years ago. The landlady of the apartment is “one of the nicest people” Seth says he has ever met (lucky you!) and when he expressed interest in caring for the yard, she was delighted! The gardens were filled with a seemingly endless army of weeds, slugs, and ants, as well as terribly overgrown perennials. As Seth began to dig in June, he soon found more than fifteen thirty-pound cement slabs and many other various rocks surrounding the house. These structures, as well as the overgrown plants, all needed to be removed prior to planting anything substantial.

In this one short year, Seth has completely transformed his surroundings. He has removed the cement slabs and major rocks from the ground, making it a great place for new plants to take root. He has installed a flagstone walkway to replace the old crumbly sidewalk. He has extended the gardens to wrap all the way around the perimeter of the house, softening the look of the yard and blending this beautiful piece of history with the landscape. One section of his garden he has devoted to his strawberries and a few smaller shade annuals, bordered by hosta. He uses iris and hollyhock along with catmint and peonies as a backdrop to many of his garden areas. In the midsummer, a fragrance dances through the garden as a result of the Stargazer lilies Seth has placed throughout the taller-growing plants. He split the iris which were terribly overgrown and replanted seven individual plants which have since flourished. And let me tell you: this is one ambitious gardener! Seth tells me that he even successfully over-wintered his impatiens, geraniums, and mums from last year. I don’t think I’ve ever even done THAT! Seth has also had great luck with using seeds, growing some Celosias up to his hip! He also concentrated on growing more vegetables this year in an attempt to save some money on groceries and was quite successful. (Take a look at the large tomato in the photo below.) He says he took full advantage of the “plethora of great deals” from Holland Bulb Farms to fill his garden. Now that’s smart shopping!

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Seth’s garden is the “micro-climate” he seems to experience. The foundation of the house has aged quite a bit and he feels that perhaps the heat loss around the house creates these warmer pockets along the perimeter. Some of his gladiolus returned this year, even though Seth technically resides in a Zone 4. He wonders if perhaps he could plant a semi-tropical perennial garden even in his Minnesota backyard. Based on the enthusiasm of this gardener, I expect that he’ll try it!

All in all, I’d say that Seth Denny’s story is truly one of success and inspiration. Not only has he found a hobby he truly enjoys, he has made his landlady extremely happy and has been showered by compliments from passer-by’s as well as neighbors at how wonderful the yard is looking! Keep us the good work, Seth and keep us posted! Thank you for sharing your story.

Until next time,

Have a comment to share with other readers? Feel free to post below. Have a question specifically for Bridget? Feel free to email her at bridget@bulbblog.com!

One of the most sought-after colors in the garden, blue blooms are something to truly behold! I had actually begun preparing a blog post on blue-flowering bulbs when I received the September edition of the Martha Stewart Living magazine in the mail just the other day. I was quite pleased to see her article (found on page 31 of her magazine) which focused completely on a “blue bloom” bulb planting project at her farm, preformed last November. In this bulb planting project, Martha along with various members of the International Flower Bulb Centre and the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center mixed together a number of different low-growing early, mid, and late spring bloomers of different blue hues. All of the bulbs used in this project were also extremely good naturalizers, meaning that they will muliply over time and increase their flower show year after year. I thought some of my readers may be interested in these specific types of bulbs and also where they could purchase them:

1. Grecian Windflower (Anemone blanda)

These bulbs produce countless daisy-like flowers atop short (3-5″ tall) stems. The gorgeous blue-purple hue will begin to appear in early to mid-spring. Anemone bulbs should be soaked overnight prior to planting to soften the hard outer shell and encourage growth.

2. Glory-of-the-Snow (Chinodoxa luciliae)

The white centers of these pale blue flowers resemble stars in the early spring. Although on rather short stems (6-8″ tall), these little beauties last extremely long as a cut flower as well.

3. Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)

One of the most tried and true of the spring blooming bulbs, the grape hyacinth multiplies rapidly and adds a subtle fragrance to the mid-spring garden.

4. Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)

These bright blue flowers adorn multi-stemmed plants among thick, somewhat shiny foliage. Another great naturalizer, these bulbs will come back bigger and better each spring.

5. Woodland Crocus (Crocus tommasinianum)

One of the first signs of spring, the woodland crocus begin to bloom in early spring, sometimes peeking through a light layer of snow. The more sun these plants receive, the wider the blooms will open.

6. Bicolor Grape Hyacinth (Muscari latifolium)

This “variation on a theme” is a relative of the typical grape hyacinth with a twist. Its blooms produce a two-tone look, with a darker almost black bottom and a lighter blue top to each flower. The sturdier stems of these give it a longer bloomtime than most spring blooming bulbs.

7. Cantab Dwarf Dutch Iris (Iris reticulata ‘Cantab’)

A blue beauty that definitely could’ve been added to Martha’s mix, this dwarf iris has one of the most exquisite forms and colors in the spring garden. Its delicate blooms and deep green foliage are one of my personal favorites.

8. Blue Allium (Allium azureum)

Definitely not for a groundcover area as in Martha’s case but still worth mentioned, the Blue Allium is just as impressive in color as it is in stature. Its flower-heads are much more petite than those of its relatives and sit atop stems which max out at two feet tall.

So there you have it! I’m definitely going to be trying this mix (with a few of my own additions) this fall. I’ll be sure to post pictures this spring. In the garden is one place I definitely don’t mind “feeling blue”

Until next time,

P.S. You can read more about Martha’s project by picking up the latest copy of her Living Magazine or by heading to her blog.

I have to admit, I find the month of August extremely enjoyable for two opposite reasons: on the one hand, I love the summer and the beautiful weather August can typically bring, but on the other, I love the fact that autumn is not fall off. As long as the winter can get here in the upper Midwest, there is something comforting to me about the day that I pull out my favorite sweater, pack away the shorts, and throw a log on the outdoor firepit for the first time.

Since this month of August is now upon us, I’m beginning to plan the location where I’ll be planting my bearded iris. One of the first fall-planted “bulbs” (technically a rhizome) available and also one of the first that should be planted, bearded iris are possibly one of the most elegant, well-loved, and easily recognized blooms in the spring garden. While reading various articles written about this plant, I find it interesting that some refer to it as “extremely easy to grow” and others warn against its difficulty level. I feel as though bearded iris are not any easier OR more difficult than any other plant. Simply follow the tips below for planting and dividing and you’ll have a successful iris garden as well!

Planting

• Bearded iris should be planted during the late summer and early fall months. For most of the United States, this time period ranges from early August to late September. Unlike many of the other fall bulbs, iris rhizomes require a good establishment prior to the onset of frost.
• Bearded iris should be planted just below the soil’s surface. One of the biggest killers of bearded iris is excess moisture. You can avoid this by being careful to only lightly cover the rhizome with soil. If “fans” of the previous season’s foliage are still intact (as most rhizomes are harvested), allow this foliage to stick up out of the soil.
• Plant in a sunny, somewhat dry location. Iris should receive at least 6 hours of sun per day. More than 6 hours is better as it will help to keep the rhizome dry.
• Space rhizomes to allow for good air circulation. Iris rhizomes should be spaced at least 12-18″ apart (a tad closer if planting dwarf varieties) to allow adequate air flow between the plants. Avoid mulch directly over the rhizomes to allow air to reach the soil surface.
• Fertilize twice per year for best show of flowers. Apply a granular fertilizer once in the early spring and then once after flowering.
• Keep plants clean. Remove flower stem and seed pod after blooming. Cut remaining foliage within 4-6″ of the ground’s surface in the fall.

Dividing

Unlike most fall planted bulbs, bearded iris require dividing once every 2-4 years in order to continue to perform at their peak. This is best done in the late summer, just as the weather begins to turn cooler. Follow the tips below for a successful dividing experience.

• Be careful not to damage or accidentally cut the rhizome while digging. Dig around the rhizome with a garden fork, leaving enough space between the fork and the rhizome as to not accidentally damage the rhizome.
• Look for “branching” or segmented sections of the rhizomes to divide along. Divide the rhizome by breaking with your hands whenever possible. Using a sharp knife or garden pruners is also on option but can spread disease. Attempt to keep all sections of rhizomes at least 3″ in length.
• Inspect rhizomes for health and overall condition. Discard of and remove any parts of the rhizomes which are hollow, soft, contain borers (white insects), or have a undesirable smell.
• Cut foliage within 4-6″ of rhizome. Remove any rotten or damaged foliage by clipping it off shorter than the 4-6″ if necessary. Replant rhizomes as above.

I tend to consider gardening my therapy for dealing with the change of seasons: with each new season, comes a new adventure in the landscape. Perhaps you can look to fall with joy this year as you plan your bearded iris garden! I know which iris are MY favorites

Until next time,

Have a comment to share with other readers? Feel free to post below. Have a question specifically for Bridget? Feel free to email her at bridget@bulbblog.com!