Irises are beautiful flowers with a pleasant aroma. They can be found on urban and suburban flower beds, on balconies and window sills. Iris won the hearts of gardeners with its charming appearance. A variety of shades allows you to create unique patterns on the flowerbed. Specialists know more than 500 species of plants. They vary in height, can be bulbous or rhizome. Bulbous varieties in Russia are considered hybrid.
If you plant irises in the flowerbed, you can achieve continuous flowering throughout the season by choosing the right variety. The flowering period of the plant begins in mid-May and lasts until July. With proper care, you can enjoy excellent flowering for two months.
What plant colors do not exist! Breeders brought cherry, terracotta, orange shades. But red irises have not yet been bred. This is due to the fact that the scarlet gene is not present in the plant. Therefore, red irises are the dream of any grower. Today, they are replaced by numerous burgundy, purple, brownish, cherry shades that look original and bright in compositions.
External data
Iris is a perennial of the iris family. The root system is complex, threadlike. Peduncles may be several. The leaves have sharp ends, sometimes a wax coating is observed on them. The leaves are connected in a bunch, located close to the peduncle. The stem has almost no leaves.
The iris flower has an unusual shape. He has six perianth particles that look like petals. The three outer parts are bent down, painted in a different color, unlike the inner ones.
Varieties
All irises are divided into two types:
There is no general classification of these colors in the world. Often they talk about bulbous, rhizome, Dutch varieties. But in Russia only rhizomatous variants are considered irises.
Specialists from other countries of the world include onion variants as irises - for example, Iris Xyphium and Juno. Russian experts consider this assignment a big mistake, considering such varieties to be completely different plants.
Xyphium includes six species. As a result of their selection, Spanish, English, Dutch irises appeared (photo of flowers shows them). They are also found in Russian gardens, although Spanish ones are very rare due to their low winter hardiness. All of these varieties in Russia are sold under the name "hybrid."
Bearded plants are those with hairs on their petals. Tall bearded irises are commonly called Germanic. Non-bearded plants include many species, including Siberian, marsh, Japanese.
Are there red irises? Indeed, there is a classification for the color of plants. In it, red irises are plants with brownish, burgundy, purple colors. They themselves are rare. But pure red irises, as we have said, do not exist.
Consider the descriptions of these varieties.
Famous species
Among red irises such varietal varieties are known:
- Deep Fire - a flower of wine-red hue, with corrugated petals.
- Copatonic is a red-brown variety, with velvet upper petals of a brown-ruby gamut and red-brown lower ones. Corrugated.
- Warrior King is a cherry-red flower of extraordinary beauty, endearing with its brightness.
- New Centurion is a dark carmine red flower, very popular among irises.
- Play with Fire - a flower with bloody upper parts and dark red velvet lower parts, there is a strong corrugation.
- Salsa Rio - a variety of color Burgundy wine of a dark hue, with a yellowish tint.
- Stop the Music - a flower with wine coloring of the upper parts and brown-burgundy decoration of the lower.
- The Bronze Age is a brass-red variety bred in Ukraine.
There are also two-tone varieties with a red component. These include:
- Gypsy Caravan - in this variety, the upper part of the flower is amber, and the lower is red-brown.
- Arabian Story - the upper part of the flower is yellow, the bottom is burgundy brown, with a purple tint, the color is slightly wavy.
Of course, these are not all varieties. But we considered the main names of irises.
The nuances of agricultural technology
How to grow red irises? The process of cultivating them involves some tricks.
Among gardeners there is an opinion that iris is a capricious culture, difficult to care for. But it's not always the case. Knowing the features of growing these plants, you can create a magnificent flower garden on your site. Growing flowers, it is worth considering the following points:
- The roots of the plant develop in a horizontal direction, so some of them can be exposed. In winter, the plants are covered with peat mixture to protect the roots from freezing.
- In the process of root formation, flowers can move from the initial place of planting. To avoid the destruction of the composition, you need to arrange irises by placing a fan of leaves parallel to the rows, and not vice versa.
- Bearded varieties are placed in a pit, at the bottom of which sand is poured. In this case, the pit cannot be deep, otherwise the plant risks dying.
- Organics are not suitable for feeding irises. It is better to use mineral compounds diluted in water.
Change to a new place
To increase the life span of the plant and increase flowering, the iris should be transplanted. This is done so that the roots do not grow too much, otherwise the plant will not have the strength to open buds. Irises are transplanted once every 3-4 years. Siberian species are transplanted once a decade.
Transplantation is performed immediately after the end of the flowering stage. In the long warm autumn period, you can transplant in mid-October.
Seat selection
Choosing a site for the growth of irises, one should give preference to open places with plenty of sun, but without drafts. Stagnation of moisture should also beware. Good drainage is necessary for these plants.
The soil in which the plant will be planted is preliminarily enriched with compost or mineral compounds. Acidic soil is diluted with dolomite flour or wood ash. Peat is added to the loam. Clay soil is mixed into sandy soil.
Before planting, the soil is decontaminated and soaked with fungicides or herbicides to prevent weed growth.
Care Rules
Before planting, flowers are treated with growth accelerators. Too long roots are cut off, cleaned of rotten places and disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes.
Bearded irises are planted so that the upper levels of the root system are open. Non-bearded, on the contrary, cover with soil. And they cover the peat or needles to save moisture.
Landing of irises in the ground is carried out with an interval of 50 cm due to the horizontal location of the root system.
The plant prefers heat and light. During the formation of buds, watering should be normalized. Excess moisture can ruin the flowers, lack of water will worsen flowering. To determine the need for watering, you should analyze the soil near the plant. If it's dry, it's time to water.
Fertilizers
Frequent dressing of flowers is not needed. It is enough to fertilize the soil in the spring before planting. Apply potassium and phosphorus compounds. Mineral fertilizers are applied under the root. When flowering began, top dressing is not performed. Repeated flowering is possible if autumn is long and warm.
In preparation for wintering, all the peduncles are removed. As soon as the leaves begin to turn yellow, the plants are cut.
To get rid of parasites after flowering, the leaves are pruned by 10-15 cm. There may be larvae of pests, so all the foliage is burned away from the flower bed.
With the advent of cold weather, the roots of plants are mulched with a mixture of peat and sand. The thickness of the mulching layer is 10 cm. For winter, plants are covered with spruce branches or dry foliage. If the winter is snowy, snow serves as a shelter for flowers. With the onset of spring, the snow layer is removed.
Use of plants
Red irises are used in the creation of original compositions in flower beds. They look good in both group and single landings. Irises (photos of flowers are presented in the article) adorn garden paths, rocky slopes. Plants are planted in pots, used in the formation of alpine hills. Almost all varieties are suitable for cutting.
When choosing a variety for a garden, one should take into account the requests of a particular variety. Irises are whimsical to care for, they do not like cold and high humidity. Some varieties do not tolerate cold Russian winters. Choosing the type of iris, you should give preference to those that are resistant to diseases and parasites.
Many irises are poisonous, do not use their roots and leaves for food. By mistake, an eaten plant can cause abdominal pain and vomiting. Plant juice, falling on hands, can cause burns or allergic manifestations.
Industrial and medical applications
Some varieties of irises are used for industrial purposes. The root is ground into powder, added to washing and cosmetics, toothpastes. It is present in shampoos, shower gels and gives a pleasant aroma to cosmetics.
In medicine, iris is used as a bacterial, anthelmintic and anti-tuberculosis drug. Eye drops from this plant help cope with dangerous bacteria. They are used in veterinary medicine.
The root also has an expectorant effect. It contains a lot of essential oil and vitamin C. In folk medicine, the root is used as a local remedy. The popular name of the plant is Kasatik. In no case should you eat the root without consulting a doctor.
Rinsing with tincture of iris rhizomes can relieve toothache. Rubbing the skin with a decoction eliminates freckles, treating the scalp heals dandruff. A decoction of iris also contributes to the stimulation of hair growth. From ancient times women used it in order to have magnificent hair. Using this tool also get rid of unwanted wrinkles.
So, we examined red irises, plant varieties and the features of their cultivation. Given all the necessary nuances, you can create an amazing flower garden on your site.