Reticulated irises: planting and care, description of the best varieties, cultivation with photos

People who prefer to grow perennial bulbous flowers often plant reticulated irises. These compact flowers are ideal for decorating a small flower bed. Before you start cultivation, you need to understand the features of planting and caring for reticulated irises.

Reticulated iris: biological description

It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the biological description of the plant in advance. This will help to learn in more detail the characteristic features of this variety of iris.

Reticulated iris or iridodictium is a small bulbous plant that grows up to 15-17 centimeters in height.The main feature of this flower is its early flowering, which begins in spring. With the onset of the summer heat, flowering stops, and the aerial part of the plant dries up.

During the flowering period, flowers appear on the bushes with a diameter of 6-8 centimeters. They can be blue, purple, white, red or pink. Some varieties of iridodictium have reddish blotches on the flower petals. Also, boxes are formed on iris bushes, inside of which there are seeds. Mature seeds are harvested in the summer and immediately planted in the ground.

Varieties and varieties

There are several varieties of reticulated iris that are popular with flower growers.

Mistress Dunford's iris

This is the earliest flowering variety of the flower and blooms in mid-April. Bushes grow up to 10 centimeters in height, which allows them to be planted in compact pots. 1-2 months after planting, flowers with yellow petals appear on denford seedlings.

The variety can be grown outdoors, as it is resistant to frost and high humidity. There are several characteristics that distinguish denforda from other irises:

• miniature;
• floral sterility;
• no top row of petals.

Hybrid Katarina Hodgkin

A hybrid variety of flowers that was bred in the 60s of the last century. Many flower growers consider Katarina Hodgkin the best variety of bulbous irises. A distinctive feature of the plant are its huge flowers, the diameter of which reaches ten centimeters. The petals of the hybrid have a bluish tint and a pleasant, fresh aroma.

The main advantages of Katarina Hodgkin include resistance to waterlogged soils and temperature changes. The flower is grown in one place for 3-5 years, after which it will have to be transplanted.

Paulin

The plant is one of the most beautiful varieties of reticulated irises that bloom in the first half of March. Paulina bulbs are ovoid and slightly elongated, their surface is covered with fleshy and dense scales. The leaves of the plant are oblong and bright green in color.

Paulina flower stalk grows up to twenty-five centimeters in height. The flowers are painted in a rich purple color, their diameter reaches nine centimeters. In order for the plant to bloom on time, it is planted in the soil no earlier than mid-September.

Jenine

People who want to see flowers in the middle of spring often plant Jenin. Flowering begins in April and lasts for a month and a half. The dwarf bush Jenin grows up to 12-15 centimeters, the diameter of the flowers is 6-8 centimeters.

Jenine is not afraid of night frosts, and therefore she is grown in the open field. You can also plant it in pots and grow it indoors.

Joyce

This is a unique plant that strikes with its charming beauty. Joyce begins to bloom immediately after the snow melts and the soil warms up to a temperature of 5-6 degrees. Among the features of the variety are rapid growth and bright blue color of the petals.

Dwarf bushes reach ten centimeters, after which they stop growing. Most often, flowering begins in March, but sometimes flowers appear in April. The diameter of the flowers does not exceed eight centimeters. Joyce can be grown without a transplant for four years. Then the bulbs will have to be dug up and planted elsewhere.

Harmony

An early flowering plant that is covered with miniature flowers one and a half centimeters in diameter. Flowering of Harmony begins in spring, when night frosts weaken. The variety has large bulbs covered with dense scales, which protects them from freezing.

There are different varieties of Harmony, which differ from each other in the coloring of the petals. They can be red, orange, purple, yellow, white and blue. Some petals are bicolored.

Natasha

Among the most winter-hardy types of irises, the Natasha variety is distinguished, which is resistant to frost. The height of the bush reaches fifteen centimeters when grown outdoors. In a greenhouse, bushes grow up to 20-25 centimeters.

Natasha has late flowering, starting in the twentieth of May. Flowers fade in 30-35 days, when the summer drought begins. In summer, the ground part of the flower dies off completely. Bulb re-emergence begins in spring.

How to grow outdoors?

To properly grow irises in the garden, you need to familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of planting flowers in open ground.

Soil preparation

Before planting any plant, they pre-prepare the soil. For growing reticulated irises, areas with slightly acidic or neutral soils are selected, in which the acidity level does not exceed 6.8 pH. If you plant a flower in soil with high acidity, the bushes will stop blooming and begin to grow strongly. To reduce the acidity of the soil, dolomite flour, ash, chalk and lime mortar are added to the ground.

Experienced flower growers do not recommend planting iris bulbs in areas with heavy soils, as under such conditions they will grow more slowly. To improve the growth of flowers, the entire area is dug up in advance and fertilized with organic top dressing.

planting bulbs

Most often, iris bulbs are planted in autumn or at the end of summer, when all the flowers stop blooming. It is impossible to delay planting until mid-autumn, as late-planted plants do not take root well in a new place.

During the planting of the bulbs in the flower bed, holes are made, the depth of which should be 10-11 centimeters. However, if the bulbs are too large, the size of the holes is increased by 3-5 centimeters. The distance between dug holes should not be less than 20 centimeters. If you plant irises too close to each other, they will grow more slowly and bloom less.

Propagation of netted iris by seeds

There are several methods for propagating irises, but many gardeners use seeds for this. To propagate a flower in this way, you need to use only ripe seeds. Full maturity occurs a few weeks after flowering.

Mature seeds are collected from flower pods, soaked in water, germinated for 2-3 days and only then planted in the soil. Seeds are planted in autumn or spring, after warming.

Spring and summer care: watering and fertilizing

Irises, like other flowers, need proper care. Planted bushes need to be watered regularly so that they grow faster. However, they must be watered carefully so that the soil is not always wet. High soil moisture leads to the development of root rot and death of plants. Florists advise watering irises with heated water 2-3 times a week.

Iris seedlings have an increased sensitivity to chemical components, and therefore only organic top dressings are used as fertilizers. Humus with compost and wood ash is added to the soil.

Pruning and sheltering iris for the winter

Before the start of winter frosts, all flowers are pre-cut and insulated with a special shelter. To trim the aerial part of the flower, use secateurs or ordinary scissors.

After pruning, the bulbs are insulated. Straw, dry leaves and tree branches are used as shelter. They are laid out on the surface of the flower bed with a layer 2-5 centimeters high. The created shelter absorbs excess moisture and reliably protects the iris bulbs from frost.

Diseases and pests: preventive measures

People who grow irises for a long time often encounter pests and diseases. The most common disease is bacteriosis, which appears due to waterlogging of the soil. To prevent the development of pathology, it is necessary to properly water the plant. Also, to prevent bacteriosis, all bushes are treated with insecticidal preparations that repel disease carriers.

The most common insect that appears on irises is the bear. They feed on the roots and stems of plants, which leads to the death of flowers. To prevent bears from appearing on seedlings, the soil will have to be dug up, loosened and mixed with ammonia.

Iridodictium in landscape design

Reticulated irises are often used in landscape design to decorate a summer cottage. The popularity of iridodictyum is due to the fact that it goes well with other colors. Experienced flower growers advise planting it along with primrose, crocuses and hyacinths.

Landscape design specialists use irises to create alpine slides. They are planted on the south side of the laid out decorative stones to create a bright flower meadow.

Conclusion

Flower growers often plant beds with mesh irises, which are known for their beauty and compactness. Before planting, you should familiarize yourself with the known varieties of the flower, as well as with the features of its cultivation and reproduction.

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