Blog: these cheery little flowers brighten up the greyest of days
If you only have room for a couple of pots, try the lovely Iris reticulata Alida, my February plant of the month. For such tiny plants, they pack a big punch, and look terrific brightening up container-grown shrubs. They’re scented, too.
The flowers are a delightful pale blue, reminiscent of a sunny, cold winter’s sky, and I think this is the reason I like them so much. True, there are richer-coloured dwarf irises available (Pixie, Harmony, Blue Note, and Pauline are worth investing in too), but none is as striking in a garden setting as Alida. Each fall (lower petal) bears a yellow band with white feathering and dark blue speckles.
Why I love Iris reticulata Alida
As Alida’s flowers are paler than the other blue/purple irises, they stand out more against damp winter soil. Flowering from February to March, mine are used as underplanting for the deciduous winter shrub Viburnum bodnantense x Dawn in a large pot. Try them in troughs, rockeries or along border edges – anywhere they can be viewed up close. Don’t waste them by planting bulbs where you won’t be able to appreciate the delicacy of the flower structure and interplay of colours. You’ll need to pack them in to make an impact, as each bulb only reaches about 10cm x 7cm. Catalogues say they reach 15cm, but mine are never that tall.
Plant Iris reticulata bulbs in late autumn, twice as deep as their height. They do best in full sun in moist, free-draining soil. If planting in borders, aim for a natural effect – scatter them loosely and plant where they land. Avoid regimented rows at all costs! As I’ve already said, they do well in containers. Even if you don’t have a garden, grow them in a greenhouse or cool, sunny windowsill for even earlier flowers.
Caring for Iris reticulata Alida
Once the flowers are over, let the strap-like foliage die back naturally. Don’t remove the leaves until all the goodness has gone back into the bulb. Divide overcrowded clumps in autumn, but only if necessary – they look best in naturalised drifts.
Native to the Middle East, these fully hardy bulbs grow in open meadows and woodland. They’re deer-resistant and drought-tolerant, thriving in poor, well-drained soils in full sun. A last warning – they can be a skin irritant and are poisonous if eaten.
You’ll find an excellent selection of irises at Hayloft Plants.
