On a cold, wet day in May, I recently had the pleasure of visiting one of our special iris breeders of Australia.

Margaret Summerill lives in Bombala in southern NSW.  She has been breeding irises for over 30 years, after her first iris was given to her in 1983.  Margaret was inspired to try her hand at breeding after reading an article by renowned breeder, Barry Blyth.  In 1986 she tried to pollinate her first flower ‘just for fun’ and made contact with Graeme Grosvener for some extra advice.

It wasn’t until 10 years after that first introduction to irises  that Margaret had one she thought was spectacular enough to register.  Proudly Mine was listed in 1993, and was followed by over 25 different flowers. Margaret says she finds it hard to pick favourites but some of her best include Fanciful Thoughts, Boys in Blue, and the more recent Spirit of Bombala.

I asked Margaret how she chose the names for her irises – something that has always intrigued me.  She related that she is inspired by places, events or people.  One iris , Mother’s Bessie, reminded her of the colour of her mother’s cow!  She also added that she had used the dictionary at times – Wily Glow meaning inquisitive or artful.

As Margaret became more adept at breeding, collecting many accolades for her irises along the way, she decided to learn more about showing the flowers.  After attending a judges’ school six times, she became an accredited Trial Garden and Show Bench Judge further increasing her already extensive knowledge of irises.

When asked for her best tips for growing strong irises, Margaret confided that she liked to use a good fertiliser such as Osmocote when she first plants out her irises and then again in August before the bloom period.

At Sunshine Iris Nursery we are proud to offer some of Margaret’s irises.  Pictured alongside is Ruby Rover, one she bred in 2012 which is available for purchase now.  We will also have Spirit of Bombala, Mother’s Bessie, Inglewood, Moselle Moon, Fanciful Charm, Fanciful Thoughts, Wily Glow, Rowes, Winsome Annie and Windana available next year. 

Check out some of our other blogs:

Vintage or Historic Irises

Different Types of Irises

Keeping Your Irises Happy Over Summer

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At Sunshine Iris Nursery we sell bearded iris but there is sometimes confusion about other types of irises grown.

Here is a diagram of different types of irises from the Iris Society of Australia.  As is shown on the diagram, irises come as two different types – those that grow as bulbs and those that have a rhizome. 

Bulbs are usually more rounded and have layers like an onion.  They are usually dormant for part of the year and may lose their leaves. The most common bulb iris is the Dutch iris.

 Rhizomes grow horizontally under the ground and reproduce by sending out new nodes after the plant has flowered.  They can be beardless, bearded or crested.

 Beardless irises attract bees by displaying a bright colour at the top of the falls, often called a signal. Varieties of beardless irises include Louisiana, Spuria, Siberian, Japanese, and Pacific Coast irises.  

Bearded irises have a fuzzy caterpillar like shoot at the top of the falls which can come in many colours and entices bees into the flower.  Bearded irises are sold as Tall - usually over 70 cm tall, flowering from early September to late November;  Median - usually between 40 and 70 cm tall, flowering from mid September to late November or  Dwarf - usually below 40cm tall, flowering from early September to mid October.  Bearded irises can also be an Aril variety.

Crested irises are a much smaller group and they have a small raised area called a crest instead of a signal or beard.

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Whilst we love the look of our iris in the garden, they make spectacular cut flowers in a vase inside and keep for up to 2 weeks.  Here a few handy tips to ensure you get the most out of your indoor iris displays.

• Keep an eye on iris flowers in your garden, and pick them just as the top flower is starting to unfurl. It’s best to cut them using sharp secateurs or a knife in the early morning or evening,
• Some people advise recutting your iris at an angle once they are inside, either under a running tap or underwater in a bucket.
• Display your iris out of direct sunlight and breezes. Change the water every 3 days or when it becomes murky and recut the stems if necessary.  Pinch off the wilted flowers as blooms emerge lower down the stem. 
• Occasionally an iris will drip a sap-like substance – place them on a non-porous surface just to be on the safe side.

For some interesting ideas on how to display your iris, google ikebana and iris.  Ikebana is a Japanese form of flower arranging which turns cut flowers and foliage into works of art.  Whatever your displays, enjoy your iris.