Growing Guides: How to Grow Dwarf Iris Bulbs
Dwarf Iris flowers are one of the first types of blooms to announce the start of Spring. They are compact plants that reach only 6 inches tall, and grow in shades of blue and yellow. Danfordiae is the only yellow dwarf iris variety. The Reticulata varieties have more varied shades and also a delightful fragrance. Dwarf Iris are a breeze to grow and naturalize and multiply easily.
Planting dwarf iris bulbs:
- In the Fall, choose a spot that gets quite a lot of light and has good soil drainage.
- Planting dwarf iris bulbs is fairly simple. You'll notice when you receive your bulbs that they look like mini onions and it will be easy to see that the spike should point upwards when planting.
- Usually the rule of thumb when planting bulbs is that bulbs need at least 2 times their height of soil above them. Dig a 2 to 3 inch deep hole, drop the bulb into it (remember, spike points up!) and cover with soil.
- Regarding spacing between bulbs, if planting in beds, leave approx 4 inches between each bulb. If you are planting in containers, you can cluster them a little closer together.
- After planting, water well so that the soil above the bulbs settles.
- Dwarf Iris bulbs will flower in the early Spring. After the flowers die down, the plant can enjoy a warm rest period. You don't have to water too much during this rest period. Leaves will also die back and start to yellow. At this point, you can choose to tidy up the plant and remove the old leaves.