Grow dwarf irises for early spring color! These irises are only 4-5 inches tall and bloom solitary flowers in early March in my zone 7 Virginia garden. Also known as netted iris, Iris reticulata are very small bulbs, covered with a fibrous netting. There are many cultivars; flower colors range from light to dark blue or light to dark purple. Preferring full sun and well-drained soil, they thrive in rock gardens, on steps and terraces, in containers, and can even be forced to bloom indoors in pots. The flowers can be cut for small desk top vases, bringing early spring cheer to the office or home. Now is the time to plant spring blooming bulbs – visit your local garden center to get these small ones or order from a nursery that specializes in bulbs. Buy at least a handful and plant with roots pointing down, spike pointing up, about three inches deep and three inches apart. Hardy to zone 5, they die back in the summer and come back in the spring every year. In my garden, ‘J.S. Dijt’ and ‘Harmony’ have thrived for 6 years with no pests or diseases. You can grow that!
Pegplant’s Post
Subscribe to Pegplant’s Post, a free monthly e-newsletter about gardening in the DC metro area. Each issue lists local gardening events, recently published books, articles, tips and news and always a giveaway. Just enter your e-mail in the subscribe box below.
Pegplant’s Post Monthly Newsletter
Speaking Events
Join me on Sunday, May 22, at 2:30 pm when I will be speaking about culinary herbs at the Sherwood Regional Library in Virginia. Free but must register with the library. This will be an in-person event and handouts will be provided. If you have a garden club, contact me to speak about culinary herbs or edible flowers. If you are interested in herbs, join the Facebook group Culinary Herbs and Spices.
Pages
- About
- Bulb Companies
- Cooperative Extension
- Culinary Herbs and Spices Facebook Group
- Culinary Herbs Resources
- Demo Gardens
- Edible & Non-Edible Flowers
- Garden Clubs
- Local Books
- Local Nurseries and Plant Stores
- Master Gardener
- Monthly Events
- New Books: 2021 and 2022
- Pegplant’s Post Gardening Newsletter
- Pests and Diseases
- Public Gardens
- Seed Companies
- Soil Tests
- Zones and Frost Dates
Wonderful article! Thanks for the insight … especially since we are in similar growing zones 🙂