{"id":2236,"date":"2018-08-20T14:47:07","date_gmt":"2018-08-20T18:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatbiggreenhouse.com\/?p=2236"},"modified":"2025-05-19T11:46:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T15:46:59","slug":"bearded-iris-plant-a-rainbow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meadowsfarms.com\/great-big-greenhouse-gardening-blog\/bearded-iris-plant-a-rainbow\/","title":{"rendered":"Grow Your Own Rainbow with Bearded Iris"},"content":{"rendered":"

I <\/span>know <\/span>fall <\/span>is <\/span>just <\/span>around <\/span>the <\/span>corner <\/span>when <\/span>the <\/span>bearded <\/span>iris <\/span>rhizomes <\/span>arrive <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>store\u2014<\/span>and <\/span>guess <\/span>what? <\/span>They <\/span>just <\/span>got <\/span>here. <\/span>That <\/span>means <\/span>the <\/span>season <\/span>is <\/span>changing (<\/span>fall <\/span>officially <\/span>begins <\/span>one <\/span>month <\/span>from <\/span>this <\/span>coming <\/span>Thursday, <\/span>to <\/span>be <\/span>exact), <\/span>and <\/span>it\u2019s <\/span>time <\/span>to <\/span>start <\/span>planting <\/span>for <\/span>next <\/span>spring\u2019s <\/span>show-<\/span>stopping <\/span>blooms.<\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>Bit <\/span>of <\/span>Iris <\/span>History<\/span><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>iris <\/span>genus <\/span>includes <\/span>over <\/span>250 <\/span>flowering <\/span>plants, <\/span>and <\/span>their <\/span>name <\/span>comes <\/span>from <\/span>the <\/span>Greek <\/span>word <\/span>for \u201c<\/span>rainbow\u201d\u2014<\/span>fitting, <\/span>given <\/span>their <\/span>wide <\/span>range <\/span>of <\/span>colors <\/span>from <\/span>crystalline <\/span>white <\/span>to <\/span>deep <\/span>purple-<\/span>black. <\/span>Most <\/span>irises <\/span>are <\/span>native <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>Northern <\/span>Hemisphere, <\/span>spanning <\/span>Europe <\/span>to <\/span>Asia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Irises <\/span>have <\/span>a <\/span>rich <\/span>history, <\/span>from <\/span>ancient <\/span>Egypt, <\/span>where <\/span>the <\/span>three <\/span>upright <\/span>petals <\/span>were <\/span>said <\/span>to <\/span>symbolize <\/span>faith, <\/span>wisdom, <\/span>and <\/span>valor, <\/span>to <\/span>early <\/span>medieval <\/span>France. <\/span>Legend <\/span>has <\/span>it <\/span>that <\/span>King <\/span>Clovis <\/span>I <\/span>was <\/span>inspired <\/span>by <\/span>the <\/span>iris <\/span>when <\/span>adopting <\/span>the <\/span>fleur-<\/span>de-<\/span>lis <\/span>as <\/span>his <\/span>emblem <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>500s. <\/span>In <\/span>the <\/span>U.<\/span>S., <\/span>irises <\/span>date <\/span>back <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>1600s, <\/span>brought <\/span>to <\/span>Virginia <\/span>by <\/span>European <\/span>settlers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where Does the Name Come From?<\/h2>\n

Iris <\/span>flowers <\/span>have <\/span>six <\/span>petals\u2014<\/span>three <\/span>upright \u201c<\/span>standards\u201d <\/span>and <\/span>three <\/span>drooping <\/span>petals <\/span>known <\/span>as \u201c<\/span>falls.\u201d <\/span>Bearded <\/span>irises <\/span>get <\/span>their <\/span>name <\/span>from <\/span>the <\/span>fuzzy, <\/span>golden <\/span>or <\/span>orange \u201c<\/span>beard\u201d <\/span>that <\/span>runs <\/span>along <\/span>the <\/span>center <\/span>of <\/span>each <\/span>fall. <\/span>These <\/span>beards <\/span>create <\/span>a <\/span>vivid <\/span>contrast <\/span>against <\/span>the <\/span>bloom\u2019s <\/span>background <\/span>color, <\/span>adding <\/span>to <\/span>their <\/span>charm <\/span>and <\/span>drama <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>garden.<\/span><\/p>\n

Iris Varieties<\/h2>\n