Re: CULT: companion plants for iris>
- Subject: Re: CULT: companion plants for iris>
- From: E* G*
- Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 04:22:10 -0000
--- In iris-talk@y..., BigAlligator@a... wrote:
> << What can I plant near my iris fans (in Z. 3) that will be
> "more interesting" (no offense, folks) when the iris blooms
> have (sniffle, sniffle) finished for the season? >>
>Daylilies. However, in your climate, your best bet would be with
Early to Early Mid season blooming Daylilies. Older varieties are
especially hardy.
I think more important than bloom season and the older varieties are
the choice of 'dormant' daylilies. I have some recent cultivars and
they are very hardy as long as they are of the dormant type. They are
hardy indeed and we have temps of -40 F (most winters). Hems usually
take a couple of years to get established here but the size of the
divisions from good houses (Caprice, Song Sparrow {formerly Klehm},
etc.) have served me well and some have scant bloom in one year.
They bloom here with the Japanese irises and the early Asiatic lilies.
Other companion plants in Z. 3 in addition ones already named by
others: I have lilium interplanted in every iris bed I have; phlox
which blooms in Aug. into Sept. and all kinds of heuchera (some are
more hardy than others); hosta (some are more hardy but probably the
most common perennial around here); coreopsis (moonbeam is hardy in
Zone 3); hardy geraniums (have to be thinned out but I plant them with
bearded iris); rudbeckia (blooms in Sept. and survives lt. frosts;
columbines are in all my iris beds; dianthus (but some are not hardy
here); Artemesia schmidtiana (silvermound which is lovely but has to
be trimmed back about twice a year). These are all interplanted with
irises - both bearded and beardless in my garden. Also roses and
various annual seeds that I sow each May. Bachelor's buttons are the
current fav. The sedum "Autumn Joy" is a must for the fall. I even
have a tulip growing right next to KITTEN (a Keppel SDB). Cute.
Zone 3 is actually a good place to garden - lots of time between
seasons to plan and recuperate. :)
Ellen Gallagher/Berlin
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