Iris douglasiana
Those flamboyant whiskered irises may get most of the attending , but the not - so - humble Douglas fleur-de-lis is ready for more meter in the glare .
A North American aborigine , this spectacular species grow in coastal California and Oregon .
But it wee-wee a brilliant ornamental for those across North America who need something showy for a funny spot or a industrial plant that can distribute with that perennial garden challenge : heavy cadaver land .
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This is break down to sound silly , but I remember the first time I run into a bounteous angry plot of ground of Douglas irises .
I was on a trip to northern California in my late teens and I was perfectly convinced that someone had planted some irises and they had scarper the garden somehow .
It just did n’t compute in my encephalon that a wildflower could be so big and beautiful .
Believe it , baby .
There ’s a lot of awesome clobber to know about these plants , so if you ’re quick to learn more , here ’s what we ’ll be hash out :
What You’ll Learn
These plant have a fascinating , long history , not only as an ornamental but as a valuable food and pecker . Surprised ? There ’s more where that came from . allow ’s take a look :
What Is Douglas Iris?
Douglas iris diaphragm ( Iris douglasiana ) , also have it off as western or wad irises , are native to the Pacific Coast of North America .
You ’ll sometimes see them shout out Pacific or Pacific Coast iris , but that ’s a more universal terminal figure for the aboriginal irises that arise in coastal California , Oregon , and Washington .
These “ Pacific ” irises let in those in theCaliforniceaseries , which is part of the subgenusLimniris , a mathematical group made up of “ beardless ” irises .
These “ Pacific ” species are sports stadium - tube ( I. macrosiphon ) , Fernald ’s ( I. fernaldii ) , golden ( I. innominata ) , Hartweg ’s or Sierra ( I. hartwegii ) , Munz ’s ( I. munzii ) , Purdy ’s ( I. purdyii ) , Shasta or Dyke ’s ( I. tenuissima ) , Siskiyou ( I. bracteata ) , Thompson ’s ( I. thompsonii ) , sturdy - foliage ( I. tenax ) , and yellowish leaf sword lily ( I. chrysophylla ) .
Most of these are much less common in nursery , but you may find them from fourth dimension to time , particularly the tough - leaf and golden coinage .
These particular specie can be grow likewise toI. douglasiana , so do n’t occupy if you terminate up with one accidentally .
Also , wild fleur-de-lis promptly cross with each other , so if you work one that you dig up on your own or someone else ’s attribute ( with permission ) , it might be a bit unique from the standard coinage . That ’s part of the playfulness !
Douglas irises grow in a narrow-minded 700 - mi - wide band along the coast begin in central Oregon and lead south through southerly California .
They ’re intrepid in USDA Zones 6 to 10 . If you happen to find a uncivilised Douglas iris outdoors of the narrow-minded ring in which it grows , it ’s likely a instinctive crossbreed .
Mountain flag are flower evergreen that in the main mystify to low-toned elevation . These plants were describe for David Douglas , a Scotch plant scientist .
He explore the Pacific Northwest for a few years starting in 1824 . During his travels , he “ discovered ” this industrial plant , among others named for him , such as the Douglas true fir .
I use the full term “ discovered ” slackly as native populations living in the region had been using the industrial plant for intellectual nourishment , tools , and medicine long before Mr. Douglas came around .
The sword - shaped greenish - yellow to dark green leaves , which grow in pairs , are an attractive , clumping accent in the garden even when the flowers are n’t present .
When the flowers do issue in spring , they range from deep reddish or blueish purpleness to wan purpleness . seldom , they might be solely yellow or white .
The flower petal have chicken , blanched , or orange bases at the bottom center of the lowest petal . These colored areas at the base of the petals are signal patches to guide pollinators into the flower .
The petal also have counterpoint venous blood system , which mean the veins are a different color than the beleaguer tissue .
Each flower arm can have several flowers , and they ’re by and large short than the leaves , with the blossoms just protruding above the framing leafage . Flowers incline to cluster in groups of two or three .
hummingbird and insects love to feed on them when the flowers are in flush , typically in saltation , though some cultivar flower as early as January and others as late as July .
Some cultivar will bloom a second time during the autumn , including ‘ wish , ’ ‘ Point Santa Cruz , ’ ‘ Canyon Snow , ’ and ‘ Baby Blanket . ’
‘ Premonition of Spring ’ flowers from September to April in most regions , though it incline to be a bit more susceptible to disease . Still , if you want some really neat color during the cold-blooded months … maybe worth the risk !
The seed , which form after the peak disappearance , draw birds . Plants take about two year to mature and acquire these seed .
Cultivation and History
As I mentioned above , the beautiful Douglas iris and its fellow native iris friends that develop in the realm – I. tenax , I. munzii , andI. innominata , among others – were and are valuable to indigenous citizenry go in the region .
The leaves can be processed to remove the amercement , silk - like ( but extremely hard ) fiber that people used to make fishing meshwork and rope .
Northern Miwok used the leaves to make baskets , while the Pomo used the leafage to cover acorn repast while it was boil to release the tannin .
Outsiders often revere or misunderstand flora that they are n’t familiar with . Just look at inadequate nightshade ( genus Solanum nigrum ) , an eatable and valuable vegetable harvest in much of the macrocosm that was reviled for some time by Europeans in North America .
As with many plants used by indigenous multitude , the same cash in one’s chips forI. douglasiana . The tooth root and seed are edible if sue right , but the plant is often described as highly toxic .
For instance , the Monache and Southern Yokuts reap the tiny seed and ground them into flour .
The roots , which have a higher compactness of the toxic chemical compound iridin than the rest of the plant , also have their uses .
For instance , the coastal Miwok tribe used dried roots to make a tea leaf to deal kidney stones and to induce vomit , while the Modoc used a poultice made from boil source to treat sore optic . The Yana chewed on the roots to ease the symptom of a cough .
The raw rhizome has also been used to make a paste to treat all kinds of skin issues , wound , and sores .
Before you go chomp on the roots of your own plants , a big old government note of caution : In gravid doses , the fresh rootstock is toxic .
Always , always , always cook the tooth root if you destine to use them internally , and even then , one should only use a little amount . call back , the tea is used as an emetic agent .
If you have any incertitude about positively identifying the species and how to use it , talk to an expert .
It ’s always better to be safe than sorry and some iris species contain more of the toxic compounds than others .
You should also keep the origin away from cats and dogs , and add to that the leave when it comes to farm animal .
This plant was originally cultivated using seeds that were taken to England in the recent nineteenth century .
By the early 20th C , growers on the West Coast of the US had started hybridizing flora as well . There are even hybrids with Siberian species ( I. sibirica ) known as Cal - Sibes .
In the preceding few decades , mountain iris have been even more extensively cultivated to make some gorgeous cultivar and hybrids . We ’ll chit-chat about those coming up .
In the meanwhile , let ’s talk about how to propagate these resplendent indigen .
Propagation
Douglas irises do n’t like being moved or replanted , so find a pip for them and stick with it .
From Seed
you’re able to find seeds for sale all over the piazza , or you’re able to harvest them off of the plant after the blossoms wither . The ejaculate should be hard and ironical before you reap them .
Keep the seeds in a dry , cool place until you ’re ready to start the sprouting process , and begin the physical process about three months before the last frost date in your region .
station the seeds in dampish sand meld with equal constituent sphagnum moss in a resealable purse or container . Put the seed in the refrigerator for two month .
Once the seeds begin to germinate , take them out of the icebox and put them in individual four - inch pot replete with potting mix . Because they do n’t like being transplanted , use biodegradable pots . That way , there ’s less etymon disturbance for the seedling .
I ’m always singing the congratulations of moo-cow Pots . I really love and expend them constantly .
They ’re made out of a super - renewable imagination ( moo-cow turd ! ) and they break down into the soil middling quickly , which is nice .
If you ’ve ever used a peat pot and found that it had n’t in full broken down a yr or more after plant , you know what I imply .
A pot that does n’t break down tight enough constrains the plant life ’s roots and causes irregular ontogeny .
CowPots Biodegradable potentiometer
you may find Cow flowerpot all over the place , includingat Arbico Organics , where they expect packs of 12 , 180 , or 450 . I buy the bountiful alternative every few year , that ’s how ready to hand these pots are .
Moisten the spiritualist and plant the cum about a third of an inch thick .
Place the pots somewhere with a petty early dawning sunlight and bright , indirect get off the remainder of the day , orunder originate lightsfor four to six hours a Clarence Day .
Within a month or so the plant should be a few column inch tall . Once the last predicted frost appointment in your region has passed , you may plant your iris diaphragm in the garden .
Harden seedling off by putting them in the spot where you think to graft for an time of day or so , then take them back within .
The next day , do the same matter , but leave them out for two hours . Keep adding an hr each day until the plants can stay outside for eight hours .
From Rhizomes
peaceable irises are one of the few rhizomes that can be planted in the early spring and will still acquire a fully grown show in their first year . Each plant can spread up to four foot , so plan accordingly .
constitute the rhizome in the ground so the top is about half an inch from the filth surface .
If you have extremely heavy clay grunge , you’re able to work in some well - rot compost to loosen things up a little , but it ’s not necessary . The only benefit will be that the works will arise quicker .
water supply well and keep an center on the dirt for the first few months . It require to persist moist as the industrial plant come forth and begins develop .
Once it ’s six inches tall or so , it can hold out a trivial drouth , but not before then .
Transplanting
Many nurseries throughout the US carryI. douglasianaseedlings , with several cultivar accommodate to orbit across the country , not just their native mountain chain .
It always helps to check out local nurseries rather than interior chains because they usually carry the picky cultivar that will prosper in your special realm .
Once you buy your seedling , the difficult part of your line of work is putting them in the solid ground without disturbing the etymon too much .
To do this , prepare the soil before embed . Dig the trap and put to work in any amendments in advance .
The muddle should be at least the size of the container , but double the width and astuteness is even better . If you have sandy or great the Great Compromiser soil , it helps to work in some well - rotted compost .
Then , gently form the seedling out of the pile by urge on the sides and pester it out . flora in the hole you made and piddle well .
From Divisions
Divisions should be done in the autumn or wintertime in temperate regions , after the plant life has had a full growing time of year to formulate and fill its roots with food reserves .
So long as the soil is workable , dig down into the works to purloin up a section a ft all-encompassing and deep . You should see several rhizomes in the section you dug up .
Now it ’s time to get unsporting and use your hands .
seize a rhizome and gently draw it out from the rest of the plant . call back of this like rend a wishing bone apart . Each rhizome should mildly tear away .
you could keep doing this to crack apart as many full - sized rhizomes as you want .
Plant them as report above in the incision on rhizomes .
memorize more about separate and transplanting flag in our guide .
How to Grow
Irises can endure anything from full shade to full sun , though they ’re better off in partial shade or partial sun . In cooler surface area , these irises are more sun- and drought - tolerant than in spicy region .
If you hold up somewhere hot and dry , plant them in full shade .
On the other hand , if you love a more or less mild climate class - round , like in the orbit where this plant grows naturally , partial sun or partial shade will do .
Those in colder arena , like San Francisco , might necessitate to put their plants in full Sunday .
This flora does n’t do well in sandy or jolting soils . Rich , slimly clayey soil is best .
That ’s ripe , all you clay soil havers can celebrate ! There ’s a flora out there that does n’t just tolerate butthrivesin the heavy clobber .
If you have a position where the runoff from your gutter drainage , put these there .
You should water these plants all twelvemonth around if Mother Nature does n’t do the work for you . They ’re the only evergreen plant iris species in the West and they grow from downfall until the summertime passion begins , at which point they go dormant .
These plant take to be moist in the wintertime . If you have even snowfall cover , that ’s good enough . Otherwise , append pee if you do n’t receive enough rain to keep the grease constantly moist .
In the summer , the soil can dry out between watering , though they ’ll tolerate anything from moist to dry soil .
If the piddle is wandering , either extremely wet or extremely ironical , some cultivars or loanblend are especially probable to not bloom , or the blossoms will waste just as they ’re begin to bud if they get too squiffy for too long .
‘ Finger Pointing , ’ which is an extremely beautiful snowy hybrid with abstruse purple edge and veins , is one such example .
In areas with hard pelting , you might desire to apply a rainwater screen over works that you mean to spawn . It ’s not so much that you desire to protect the flowers , which you do , but to allow bees a safe stead to cross-pollinate without being pummeled by rain .
likewise , if you have a hail tempest in the prognosis during the spring when the blooms are forming , collapse those rainwater screens out .
Most Pacific flag call for acidic soil and acidic plant food to in truth thrive , but of all the Pacific iris , I. douglasianais totally glad in inert or even alkalic soil .
That ’s one of the many reason it ’s such a favored species among those in theCalifornicaeseries .
Growing Tips
Maintenance
Irises care to circularise . They ’re good at it .
If you have an stick in area you require to fill , that ’s awesome . But if you have a big field where sawhorse crop or you implant the rootstalk next to a well - manicure lawn , it might be a number less awesome .
Not only do they open via underground rhizome , but the seeds spread as well . Keep an eye on any seedlings that pop up and pluck them if they ’re low , stunted , or otherwise vile .
While it ’s not necessary , your flowers will grow better if you divide them every three to five years . Do this in the late fall or other spring .
Cultivars to Select
Before we talk type , let ’s clear up a few of our terms :
Douglas iris have three extinct flower petal that circulate the exterior of the efflorescence .
These are the largest flower petal and they have a blaze of color at the bottom centre , call in a signal . The minuscule petal that ride towards the center of the flower are called the criterion .
Blue Plate Special
‘ Blue Plate Special ’ is just that : special . It has broad , round come down in contrast to the usual ellipse ones .
It kick in the overall impression of a big , round blossom . The falls have jaundiced and ashen signaling , with light blue standard that feature a cryptic drear nimbus and blue mineral vein .
It ’s such a looker , and unfussy as can be , that it was named the winner of the esteemed Mitchell Award by the American Iris Society in 2012 . Expect flowers as betimes as the first of April .
Broadleigh Sybil
Featuring medium pink falls with a dark rosaceous gloriole , and icteric signals with deep purple veins , ‘ Broadleigh Sybil ’ is eye - catch .
The standards on this hybrid , which are especially narrow , are a pale flushed - biscuit color .
This cultivar stays fairly unretentive at about a foot tall .
Dracularity
With profligate red colouring fringe with a hairline pink rim and near disgraceful vein , ‘ Dracularity ’ would easily be The Count ’s favourite .
The ruffled petals and black sign just add to this foot - tall plant ’s dramatic flavor .
Bred by Mercer Island , Washington house physician and prolific iris hybridizer Deborah Cole , this mid - season bloomer was introduced in 1998 .
Drive You Wild
‘ Drive You Wild ’ has deep violet - red petal with golden signals .
It ’s such a hardy stunner that it won the American Iris Society ’s Mitchell Award not once , but doubly , in 1991 and 1994 , with an honorable mention in 1988 .
It ’s a mid - season bloomer that reaches 10 inches tall when mature .
Oxymoron
Heavily swagger flower petal with neon reddish blue signals and yellow style are highlighted by coppery - orange falls .
This foot improbable flora was bred in 2001 and won the honorable mention from the American Iris Society ’s Mitchell Award in 2005 .
Vain
You ’d be vain , too , if you looked like this iris . The declension are bright yellow with a paler yellow to purple signal and dark orangish vein . It ’s a reliable botch on a foot - magniloquent plant .
Managing Pests and Disease
secure news ! Herbivores generally disregard this plant , and snails will only nibble on the peak , but not the leaves .
In fact , I. douglasianais so unappealing to most critters that you do n’t have to stress about deer or rabbits take in a repast of it .
That said , farmer detect it a pain and attempt to extinguish it from fields where stock graze .
call up , the leaves are toxic to livestock and some grazing fauna will take a bad bite of pasture without realizing that they got a taste of something bad .
In years when there is n’t much else to eat , cervid will nibble vernal shoot . But once the plant reach more than a few inch tall , deer wo n’t vex it .
you could protect young plants with some mesh or poulet wire temporarily .
If you befall to have mountain beavers ( Aplodontia rufa ) roaming around your property , you ’ll have to be a bit more careful . They bang these plants .
perhaps just implant a spell for them near their home and you ’ll make the wildlife on your prop seriously happy .
Insects
This species is less susceptible to pestilence than many other species of irises .
While the watch pests will look for other species before they ’ll feed onI. douglasiana , they will still take advantage of the chance for a meal .
Aphids are only a material trouble in large numbers on youthful plant .
There are numerous metal money that will bung on lily , including purple - spot ( Macrosiphum lilii ) and mottled aroid aphids ( Neomyzus circumflexus ) .
Aphids are in general small and oval - form and like to clump at the folio joints and flower buds .
If you see them , or the symptom they do , which include yellowing leave-taking and distorted bud , read our guideto find out how to eliminate them .
If you live west of the Rocky Mountains , go onwards and skip this section .
This pest ( Macronoctua onusta ) mostly string up out east of the Rockies in Zones 5a and below , which limits how often Douglas iris diaphragm are exposed to them .
But if you live in an orbit where iris stone drill thrive , this is one of the most vulgar and damaging pestilence you ’ll run into .
The dull chocolate-brown night - fly moth is n’t the problem .
It ’s the two - in - long , pinkish caterpillars that feed on the folio and tunnel down into the rhizomes , causing yellow and browning on the leaf and rot on the roots below ground .
Eventually , the leave will start up to become mushy and decompose , too .
Your expert stake to avoid this gadfly is to tailor down your plants in the fall so there are no leaves for the eggs to hide and mature in .
Abeneficial nematode treatmentwill do wonders if these pestis are already present . You ’ll need to treat for at least two year to verify you kill all the caterpillar .
Do n’t bother with chemical pesticides . They are n’t really effective and they bolt down all the effective plague that we need to keep around .
Triple Threat Beneficial Nematodes
Grab some good nematodesat Arbico Organics .
They deal a mob with three dissimilar coinage , all of which have been register to reduceM. onustapopulations , in five , 10 , 50 , 250 , or 500 million tally .
Disease
Because this plant life is so liberal of a variety of environmental condition , it ’s better able to stand firm the pathogens that set on many other metal money .
If you plant in a good spot and treat your industrial plant right , it ’s unlikely you ’ll ever encounter these . But just in case :
If your works begin to collapse , dig up a rootstalk and give it a flavour . Is it stinky , mild , and brown or black-market ? It ’s probably succumbed to the bacteriaPectobacterium carotovorum , which causes root rot .
There is n’t a effective treatment available so it ’s best to dig up the plant and go out the soil fallow for a year . Do n’t compost the debris – toss it in the refuse .
The fungusPuccinia iridisexists around the globe and attack all species of iris , butI. douglasianais often visited by the fungus .
When rust is present , it cause small yellow dots with brown centers . Eventually , with enough spots , a folio ca n’t function properly and it dies . If enough leaves die , the works will , too .
This fungus needs water supply to thrive , so it look for plants in shady areas with poor air circulation . If the plant are watered overhead on the foliage rather than at the soil degree , even better !
Best Uses
Because these efflorescence grow compact and low to the ground , you may use them as a ground screening .
They ’ll keep circularise until you stop them . They ’re also ideal for boggy domain , like where your rain jabber debilitate or near pond .
If you ’re adjudicate to fill a meadow or wild flower garden , flip some of these in . They even work in rock gardens so long as you provide wet in the wintertime and slay rocks from the soil itself .
They can also make a nice , low mete for the edge of a garden .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Elegant Douglas Irises Fill Those Tough Garden Spots
I do n’t know about you , but I have a heck of a time attempt to fill up the shadier spots in my garden , especially those with mud soil .
And finding something that bet really striking and beautiful ? Even more unmanageable .
These check the bill .
Plus , you got ta love a aboriginal plant that makes the wildlife in your area glad . You ’re welcome , mountain beaver !
quick to expand your flag knowledge ? We have several other guides that you might find useful :
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About
Kristine Lofgren
