Planting iris for impact
By Margie Habraken
on March 11, 2019
on March 11, 2019
Pick Pack Post - by Kerry Anderson
By Elissa Strong
on February 04, 2019
on February 04, 2019
Usually it is the children that are encouraged to take on the family business, but in the case of Sunshine Iris Nursery near Lockhart in New South Wales, it was the opposite. What started as a logical step into the business world for agronomist trained Elissa Strong became problematic when she went back to study in 2017 leaving her mother Mandy to pick pack and post.
Stepping into spring - Preparing your irises for spring
By Margie Habraken
on August 26, 2018
on August 26, 2018
We are all undoubtably looking forward to our irises blooming, so with the warmer weather not too far away, we thought it might be a good time to offer some suggestions to maximise your spring flowering.
During this unseasonably drier weather many of us are experiencing, its important to keep the water up to your irises. Be careful not to overwater as the rhizome will rot if it stays too wet. It might be a good time to add a light mulch to your irises. This will not only lessen evaporation, but will assist in weed control as the weather warms.
Our irises are looking quite scraggy at the moment. Gently pulling off the dead leaves and carefully trimming spent flowers will enhance their appearance, ready to show off their blooms in the coming months. The old leaves can even be used to create other works of art if you're that way inclined!
It's good time to fertilise your irises now to get the best spring show. We recommend using a fertiliser which is lower in nitrogen to make the most of the blooms. Yates suggest one called Thrive Natural Roses and Flowers. They advertise it as a special combination of organic ingredients boosted with fast-acting fertilisers, designed to enhance the growth and development of flowers.
Follow the instructions on the pack and don't forget to water well after applying to get the maximum uptake.
Read more here;
Expansion at Sunshine Iris Nursery
By Margie Habraken
on July 01, 2018
on July 01, 2018
A lifelong passion for irises
By Margie Habraken
on May 24, 2018
on May 24, 2018
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:
Give the Gift That Keeps on Giving
By Margie Habraken
on April 19, 2018
on April 19, 2018
Vintage or historic irises
By Margie Habraken
on April 05, 2018
on April 05, 2018
Different types of iris
By Margie Habraken
on March 06, 2018
on March 06, 2018
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.
Keeping your irises happy over the summer
By Elissa Strong
on January 22, 2018
on January 22, 2018
Why grow median and dwarf irises?
By Margie Habraken
on December 11, 2017
on December 11, 2017
Medians are less prone to wind damage and are easier to display in vases. They will provide a spring feature amongst shrubs and mixed perennial gardens.
Dwarf irises are excellent edge plants and require little maintenance. They are very resilient, handle dry summers well and are easy to move around the garden when clumps increase in size.
