13 YEARS AND OVER
“Iris Essay”
by Lewis Glasscock, Region 7
John C. Wister, the first president of the American
Iris Society, once said: "The iris is the mainstay of a
hardy garden." I agree, irises are elegant, unique, and
easy to grow.
The iris family is a very elegant family as a whole.
The flowers are an unconventional yet graceful shape
that is not similar to any other flowers. The bluish, long,
thin leaves are a beautiful sight even when the plant
is not in bloom. In my garden, the tall purple bearded
irises stand out because they are taller than the hostas,
California poppies, and the lilies of the valley that
surround them.
Irises are common, yet look incredibly exotic. In my
garden I grow mostly bearded irises - large, fragrant,
colorful flowers that bloom typically in late spring to
early summer. Once a yellow bearded iris in our garden
bloomed in November, and the flowers were covered in
snow. The show they put on was miraculous.
Typically, when you think about a plant being elegant
it's in reference to the flowers, not with irises! My
favorite part has always been the rhizomes, I have
always been amazed at how such a small rhizome can
produce such a large flower. When I was little I thought
the rhizomes looked like fat fingers.
The iris family is also a very diverse group of plants.
Whether you want a beautiful plant to spice up your
Youth Views
May 2018 Iris Show at
Chesterfield Montessori
School, Chesterfield, MO.
Classroom Iris Program
sponsored by the Greater
St. Louis Iris Society.
, erin chien
pond garden, or you're interested in a nice focal point
for your drought-tolerant garden, irises can fit in
perfectly. At a park near my house, bunches of bright
yellow semi-aquatic irises grow in the creek there.
Irises can be all different shapes and sizes, both plant
size and flower size. Some irises are large and bushy,
others are tiny with huge flowers proportionate to the
plant, and some are in the middle. My bearded irises
are huge compared to my tiny yellow Dutch irises, who
are always first to bloom in early spring. Irises can be a
whole array of colors ranging from reds and oranges to
blues and purples.
In all my years of growing irises I have never had any
problems. Every once in a while, I'd have to remove
a moldy section on a dormant rhizome, but that has
only happened a few times. Once a few get crown rot,
they recovered on their own and were fine. Irises are
a great plant for beginners and are very tolerant, the
main reason they are a mainstay of a hardy garden. The
rhizomes live for a very long time, and naturally divide
so that if one does die, it has a perfect replica to take its
place. They're very forgiving compared with some plants
I grow, and I never really have to care for them. The
only thing I really do is put the rhizome in the ground, it
basically just takes care of itself.
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Fall 2018 AIS Bulletin 27