Tall Bearded Iris are hardy evergreen perennials that grow from rhizomes and are available in a rainbow of colours.

They grow well in areas with cold winters, so southern states of Australia are ideal (TAS, VIC, SA) and also grow in cooler parts of NSW and QLD.  

Tall Bearded iris need full sun (at least 6 hours per day) and well-drained soil to thrive. They will appreciate a good organic soil but be careful not to add anything with too much nitrogen as this will promote leaf growth at the expense of your flowers. Top dress with a complete fertiliser like blood and bone in early spring each year. Applying a seaweed tonic at the time of planting, early spring and after flowering will give your iris an extra boost.

Plant your rhizomes so they are just under the soil surface (1-2cm). They don’t like to be mulched as this can cause the roots to rot. Keep slightly moist throughout summer until they are more established. Once established bearded iris need very little water. In a dry summer they can be watered well once a week and left to dry out in-between watering.

They need good air circulation so plant approximately 40cm apart.  It’s important to divide your iris every 2-4 years or when they are looking congested and flowering has decreased. This promotes better growth and will result in more flowers. Discard the old rhizomes with no new shoots. This is best done after flowering.

To keep your patch looking clean and to reduce the risk of pests and fungal damage regularly remove the old browning leaves and snap off spent flower heads at the base.