When iris eyes are shining: On deck and ready to bloom in Aiken

Now that the daffodils are gone, tulips and irises are on deck. Tulips are fine flowers, but they typically will not rebloom in these parts.

Irises, on the other hand, will hang around for years, surviving, as some of mine have survived, several moves as well as a variety of soil and light conditions. For the money, irises are certainly a better investment.

"Why haven't my irises bloomed?" is, however, a question I've heard many times over the years, and I'll have to admit that my old favorites, the Siberians, that have bloomed for years under the downstairs bedroom window, have finally ceased to bloom, having been choked out by the invading liriope that takes up more than its share of space around my garden.

Clemson tells us that poor flowering is normally due to one of four things: planting in excessive shade, using too much fertilizer, planting the rhizomes too deep or plants that have become too crowded and need dividing.

There are hundreds of species of iris that come in all colors and vary in size from the tiny woodland groundcovers like the dwarf crested iris to the large, frowsy bearded iris that crowned your grandmother's garden and Japanese iris that stands 3 to 4 feet tall.

The iris most often grown in South Carolina falls into two groups: bearded and beardless. The bearded irises are identified by thick, bushy "beards" on each of the falls or lower petals of the blossoms. This group is subdivided into six groups, depending on the size.

"Like ducks in a pond," I've heard tell is the correct way to plant bearded iris. That is, the rhizomes should be just below the surface of the soil. They must have well-drained soil and plenty of sun. It's better to underfertilize than overfertilize bearded iris, and be careful not to let the fertilizer touch the rhizomes. The best time to plant them is July through September

Clemson lists nearly three dozen varieties of bearded iris, some of which are rebloomers.

The beardless irises, such as Siberian, Japanese and Louisiana iris, have different growing needs. Siberian iris thrives in moist soil, but does not like standing water. These are supposedly among the easiest to grow as long as you're not fighting liriope.

Japanese Iris requires a slightly acid soil and has, according to Clemson, the most spectacular flowers of all the irises. They will flourish in wet environments, are heavy feeders and require lots of organic matter for nutrients. They need six hours of full sun

Louisiana iris is native to the Gulf Coast. It needs at least a half-day of sun, a neutral or acidic soil and plenty of fertilizer and water. Sandy or heavy clay soils should be amended with organic matter. New growth appears in fall, and in mild winters the foliage remains erect and green.

Louisiana iris rhizomes should be planted deeper than other iris, at least 1 inch under the soil, then mulched with 2 to 4 inches of compost. They are recommended by Jim Wilson in his book, "Bulletproof Flowers for the South."

Dwarf crested iris is a small native iris that thrives in lightly shaded gardens. It has light blue flowers in early spring with attractive miniature foliage throughout the growing season. Plant the rhizome at ground level rather than burying it in the soil. It prefers infertile, well-drained soil.

Yellow flag iris is happiest in 3 to 6 inches of water. It grows 4 to 5 feet tall with butter-yellow flowers.

Blue flag iris is a native iris that grows in damp areas in the Eastern United States. It has lavender-blue flowers on 3-foot stems during May and June.

Dutch iris is grown from bulbs. It blooms in early summer in deep and light blue, purple, yellow and white on 24 inch tall stems.

They prefer sun or afternoon shade and rich, well-drained soil. Plant bulbs 4 to 6 inches deep in October or November.

For an astronomical array of all types of irises and to see what's new in the family, check out the Iris City Gardens website, iriscitygardens.com.

The choices of colors and combinations of colors will leave you drooling, and these have an Aiken connection.

Susan Elder is an Aiken resident and retired elementary school teacher who's been getting the dirt on Aiken gardens for more than 10 years.