This is the time of year we review our garden and plan changes so I would like you to consider Siberian Irises. They look especially attractive around your water garden. The tall stems (about 3' ) attractive blooms, foliage that remains green throughout the growing season and neat growing habits make them ideal perennials for your garden. They are disease resistant and have a wide range of colours. You should visit a Canadian Iris Society show, usually held in June at the Royal Botanical Gardens or the Civic Garden Centre to help you select a cultivar. You may also be able to determine the plants you want by visiting a nursery with viewing gardens, as well Lakins Gardens at R.B.G. have show beds. Most offered for sale at nursery centres are hybrids, they have better colours and larger blooms.

They usually bloom just after the tall bearded iris. They are easy to grow, being very tolerant to cultural conditions. They prefer a slightly acid soil which has lots of composted organic matter so that it helps the irises stay evenly damp in dry weather. Fertilise in spring with a fertilizer a little higher in nitrogen and after blooming feed again with a balanced fertilizer. After blooming they grow their new fans and rhizomes for next year's blooms.

Many people are mulching and feeding with alfalfa pellets and tea. Alfalfa cubes sold by the agricultural stores as horse feed are dried alfalfa compressed into cubes. Fill a pail about ¼ full with alfalfa then fill to the top with water. Let set overnight, then spread around your irises. Sometimes I augment this with fish fertilizer. The first winter after planting you should mulch to prevent frost heaving and breaking of roots. Sea weed fertilizer has become popular lately but I have been unable to obtain it locally.

Siberian Irises prefer cold winters so are ideal for our area. They do not like to dry out completely in the summer. They prefer to grow in full sun but will bloom in light shade. Many catalogue suppliers will ship to you only in the fall but it is felt that right after blooming may be the best time to divide. Whether you are dividing an existing clump or are planting a new purchase, the most important thing is to keep the rhizomes moist for several weeks. As you know fall plantings are usually followed by fall rains so that watering is ensured by mother nature. Plant the rhizomes one inch deep. Siberian Irises can grow for several years without any dividing of the clump. When the blooms start to get smaller and less in number the clump needs to be divided or it needs food.

Irises like Gatineau, Abitibi, Kootenay, Nipigon, Rimouski, Skeena or Rideau are all Isabella Preston hybrids named after Canadian rivers. Super Ego, White Swirl, Butter and Sugar, and Dreaming Yellow are some I have had good results with. Siberian Irises make excellent cut flowers for flower arranging and the seed heads are attractive in dried arrangements.