Re: CULT:companion plants>

--- In iris-talk@y..., Bill Shear <wshear@e...> wrote:

> Use caution in companion plantings.  Bearded irises need free air 
circulation around their foliage and resent crowding and competition. 
Companion plants should be widely spaced (as should the iris clumps) 
to avoid higher levels of leaf spot and rhizome rot.<

I agree with this totally but the original query (that I came in on at 
least) concerned companion plants in Zone 3 where conditions are 
vastly different than in Zones 5 - 9. Mainly beause our irises, for 
the most part, do not increase fast. I plant my bearded (mostly 
medians) spaced 2 ft. apart. It would take about 4-5 years for MOST 
cultivars to increase. So, we are left with empty garden space. I have 
been using my companion plants with my irises in a mixed border for 17 
years in Zone 3. If I have to sacrifice a plant for air and room, the 
iris stays put. Asiatic lilies can get quite unruly and most bulbs 
have a mind of their own. This year I had to dig up under ORANGE TIGER 
(SDB) and extract the bulbs that I could find. OT is blooming like 
mad.
 
> In general I find that most tall bearded irises are not good border 
> plants because of this inability to thrive when crowded, especially 
> in climates with warm and humid summers.  If you plan to use irises 
> in a border or in a situation where other plants encroach on their 
> personal space, it is best to select older varieties which have been 
> tried and tested under such conditions. 

I agree with all of this but I do have modern ones that take kindly to 
heuchera and a few annuals. Only Walter Moores' new ones increase like 
mad...which is good but unusual up here. I will be dividing his irises 
which is unheard of for TBs in my gardens after a scant 3 yrs. SDBs 
are far more prolific in the 3rd Zone.

Cheers,

Ellen Gallagher


 

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