Inimitable Spuria Irises. Xiridion. Planting And Leaving. Types, Varieties, Photos

Among all irises, the most extravagant flowers can be boasted by Iris from the subgenus Xiridion, better known as spuria irises. They have rightfully earned the title of an exclusive, rare plant, claiming the status of one of the brightest stars in any garden. And even though they are also distinguished by especially spectacular greenery, they were glorified precisely by the extraordinary beauty of the flowers, which completely compensates for all the shortcomings.

Content:

• Exclusive status of unique beauties
• Unusual accents for any composition
• Species and varieties of spuria irises suitable for growing in the middle lane
• Comfortable conditions for spuria irises
• Planting spuria irises
• Specificity of care for spuria irises
• Spuria iris transplant needs
• Reproduction of irises spuria

Exclusive status of unique beauties

Spuria irises are considered the most stellar and prestigious representatives of their kind. They cannot compete in prevalence either with bearded irises, or even with Siberian ones, and in our country they remain an exclusive novelty and rarely appear in catalogs, but they are absolutely inimitable in terms of flowering and its beauty. If all other irises are similar to each other and are easily recognizable in shape, then the representatives of the spuria group always seem to be a curiosity and certainly the most original among all irises.

Unusual flowers, like all other irises, consist of three lower and three upper perianth lobes. But the similarity ends there. The lower lobes of the spuria irises are unusually curly, at their ends there is an almost circular limb-plate, to which a horizontal, grooved and very long marigold leads. The upper or inner lobes are also elongated, oval or lingual, slightly inferior in size to the outer ones and widely spread. This iris has drops of nectar on the outside of the tube, massively attracting not only flying insects, but also ants.

The appearance of spuria irises to many resembles outlandish orchids, and such associations are really appropriate. But the main advantage can rightfully be called not an outlandish shape, but a combination of an unusual appearance with the longevity of flowers: unlike other irises, the flowers of spuria do not fade within a week, and the whole flowering lasts longer than that of bearded irises. The greenery is also very good: surprisingly elongated and pointed xiphoid leaves are bright, large, create architectural and graphic accents, in terms of showiness they are only slightly inferior to Japanese irises and surpass bearded ones.

The flowering of representatives of the subgenus xiridion begins on average 3 weeks later than that of bearded irises. Many varieties of spuria irises flower in July. This is one of the most late-blooming representatives of the family, which allows you to stretch the watercolor wave of irises blooming for many months.

Unusual accents for any composition

Representatives of this group of irises are grown both for floristry and as exotic accents on flower beds. They look great in landscape ensembles and lush compositions, and create a beautiful backdrop throughout the active season thanks to tall leaves with strict lines. They can also decorate ridges, mixborders, front gardens, combined narrow borders. All spuria irises are perfectly combined with other species and varieties, suitable for creating a relay race of irises in the garden.

Species and varieties of spuria irises suitable for growing in the middle lane

More than 600 different varieties of irises of the Spuria group have been bred, and the number of natural species is estimated at two dozen. But most species of plants require conditions that are not typical for our climate and will not be able to adapt not so much to frosts as to the peculiarities of summer, which must be hot, long and dry for them. Of the basic species for the middle zone, two species are considered the most suitable, which are also found in our country - Sogdian irises and salt-loving irises.

Salt-loving iris is a tall species, most often found on saline shores of reservoirs, and in gardens it feels good in ordinary soil. Its peduncles reach 70 cm in height, up to 5 flowers bloom on them with different watercolor shades of yellow paint with greenish spots. It has decorative forms with golden flowers.

The Sogdian iris reaches half a meter in height. This is a medium-sized spuria iris, the flowers of which are graceful, painted in pale blue or classic purple with yellow spots. It has beautiful broad leaves of a typical xiphoid shape with a pointed tip.

Of the other species of spuria - eastern, Monier, false fake, Muslim, cereal, etc. - it is worth deciding on experiments only when the plant is already cultivated in your area and there are examples of its successful cultivation.

But when buying a spuria of irises, first of all, look for non-specific irises: preference should be given to modern hybrids, varietal specimens with proven qualities. The best candidates for decorating your garden are varieties already adapted from local nurseries or grown by local gardeners (then the chance of planting loss will be much lower). Hybrid varieties of spuria are less demanding on growing conditions, they adapt well to garden conditions and typical soils on flower beds. Although, even with the choice of proven varieties, the cultivation of spuria irises is carried out "by trial and error."

The best varieties of spuria irises:

• snow-white with a yellow spot at the base of the perianths hybrid of the eastern iris "Phrygia" and other white varieties 'Ila Remembered' and 'Highline Snowflake'
• golden flowered 'Vintage Years', 'Sunrise in Missouri' and ruffled Archie Owen;
• as if cast from bronze, with a unique combination of bright yellow color and dark veins variety 'Imperial Bronze'
• 'Sultan's Sash' deep purple color with surprisingly touching yellow veins on the outer petals and a similar lavender "Belize" pattern;
• 'Missouri Rivers' with a rich blue color and a beautiful yellow spot on the lower petals,
• 'Blueberry Sundae' with lower petals decorated with a dark blue border, a bright yellow eye and dark blue upper perianths;
• 'Chocolate Fudge', exquisite and watercolor, inviting to admire the transitions of golden and brown tones and also painted in brown palette 'Red Oak', 'Cunnamon Stick'
• two-tone variety "Zamboanga" with golden lower petals and reddish-brown upper petals, decorated with beautiful veins and an unusual edge and similar, but more brown 'Sunrise in Sonora'
• almost black, dark red with a luminous gold spot variety 'Zulu Chief' and more inky 'Mighty Dark'
• bright orange 'Sonoran Senorita' and 'Destination'
• pale lilac 'Midrib Magic', lavender 'Innovator' and lilac-amethyst 'Midnight Rival'
• combining a bright yellow color and a white wavy border on the lower perianths with snow-white upper petals "Infini", etc.

Hybrids' Farolito ',' Missouri Gal ',' Twilight Mode ',' Larkspur ',' Sunny Day ',' Missoury Streams', 'Missouri Blue' and other 'Missouri' varieties have also proven themselves well in regions with a harsh climate, ' Golden Lady ',' Driftwood ', Lankaran, etc.

Comfortable conditions for spuria irises

Irises of the spuria group are one of the most heat-tolerant species of the genus. They are most often found in nature in desert and steppe regions, so they are accustomed to drought and bright sun. Among the species there are plants that prefer moist soils and in nature live near water bodies, but even capricious varieties can easily endure summer drought. The natural properties of plants are only enhanced by hybridization and selection, which further increases the drought resistance of the varieties of this group.

The lightest areas should be selected for these irises, especially in regions with harsh winters. They are not afraid of wind and drafts, grow well in any neutral or calcareous soil that contains a sufficient amount of humus, fertile, not overly heavy, drained and of high quality.

Planting spuria irises

The planting process of these irises, as well as their behavior in the soil, are significantly different from the most popular and familiar bearded irises. The optimal period for planting in the middle lane is considered August and the first half of September, while it is better not to postpone planting and spend it at the end of summer. At the end of the growing season, spuria irises are buried in the soil, the upper part of the rhizome is "drawn in" by itself, making them much more resistant to frost.

Spuri irises are planted so that the links are located at a depth of 5-6 cm (no more than 10 cm) from the soil surface or as the plant grew in the previous place (thanks to the noticeably whitened areas, it is easy to determine the installation level and not immerse the irises too deep in the ground) … Calculate the distance when planting so that the rhizomes have room to grow: they grow 6-10 cm per year, so it is better to leave at least 40-50 cm between the plants.

Specificity of care for spuria irises

Irises do not need spuria watering, except for possible periods of extremely prolonged drought during the flowering period. But feeding should be regular, in an amount of at least 3 procedures per season. Organic fertilizers are not used for xiridions, limiting themselves only to complete mineral fertilizers. During the entire active season, regular weeding should be carried out, and the bare old rhizomes should be carefully sprinkled with fresh soil, maintaining a constant level of deepening. In the first year of planting spuria irises, it is better to cover with an additional layer of mulch for the winter.

Spuria iris transplant needs

Irises of the subgenus Xiridion are durable, and this is another trump card. They are capable of blooming tirelessly in one place for 10-15 years. Spuria irises do not like transplants and take a long time to adapt to a new place (sometimes up to 2-3 years), while changing the location it is better to immediately separate and rejuvenate.

Reproduction of irises spuria

Irises of the spuri group are propagated by dividing rhizomes. It can be carried out only at times favorable for planting, in August-September. The key features of these plants include the poor survival rate of the plots after drying out, but it is also relative.

If the plants are active, woke up after summer dormancy, "awakened" by the rains, the separation process must be carried out quickly, immediately placing the plant in the soil at a new growing site. They are not sensitive to removing spuri from the soil only during the dormant period, when growth completely stops and they can even endure many months of ransom for transportation. The rest of the separation process is similar to bearded irises.