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.

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!

Cantina

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.

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.

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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