| Re-Blooming Irises
Once again, Immortality delighted us last year with its normal late May early June bloom period. It
bloomed again the latter part of August and with the mild fall, continued to bloom until mid-November.
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There are several varieties of Bearded Iris that will bloom again after the regular season. While not guaranteed and subject to weather conditions, a good re-bloom of some Irises is possible if you select varieties that are known to re-bloom in your area.
Just a note to the wise, many Irises advertised as “Re-
Bloomers”, will only re-bloom where the summers are
longer, ie, in warmer climates. Better to buy from a local
grower who has experienced success and can make
recommendations for your area.
Re-bloom can be encouraged with extra water and fertilizer
during summer droughts. In the fall of 2006, Bob and I prepared and
planted a bed specifically for re-bloomers. It's closer to the
water supply, so with last year's drought we were able to borrow from
the pond every couple of weeks. The results were amazing!
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Cantina
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Between the extremely hot summer that Mother Nature provided and the extra water, we
had an amazing re-bloom. Of course, Mother Nature wasn't going to let us
off that easy. The Japanese Beetles loved this unexpected bloom and made
a feast of them every chance they could. They particularly loved the
fragrant ones. Our solution was to pick the blooms prior to opening and
enjoy them in the house. Bob photographed several bouquets of them for
you to enjoy.
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| Bouquet In The Window |
Bouquet In The Garden |
Some of the re-bloomers need a second season after planting to give a good re-bloom. Immortality
seems to be a little shy the first year and then is the most reliable. Queen Dorothy, though not a
spectacular flower, is also an excellent re-bloomer and fragrant as well. Lady Emma never fails There
are Re-bloomers in every class of bearded iris so you could make room for a couple of dwarfs. We enjoyed
blooms from some of our newest varieties and were very pleased with Champagne Encore and Fast Forward, both Intermediate Beardeds.
Every year is a little different since the re-bloom is spread out over several months and it's not easy to
predict which will and which won't re-bloom. We plan to continue to introduce and test more of these varieties and to
maintain bloom records which will identify reliability patterns. You are welcome to give us a call and/or
drop by in the fall to discover which varieties are re-blooming for us.
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Re-Bloomers In Our Gardens (South-Western Ontario - Canadian Hardiness Zone 5b |
| Tall bearded |
Best Bet, Breakers, Cantina, Champagne Elegance, Clarence, Double Shot, Immortality, Mariposa Autumn, Pink Attraction,
Queen Dorothy, Rosalie Figge, Total Recall, Victoria Falls |
| Miniature Tall Bearded |
Lady Emma |
| Intermediate Bearded |
Blessed Again, Champagne Encore,
Fast Forward, Lo Ho Silver |
| Standard Dwarf Bearded |
Baby Blessed, Blueberry Tart, Forever Blue, Jewel Baby |
| Miniature Dwarf Bearded |
Forever Violet |
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