Is it not fitting that a flower so loved by royalty and myth alike should find a place in your designs? Although the spectacular flowers of the iris last but for a short time, they are a must in every sunny garden. Regal and delicate at the same time, the iris is very hardy and will grow as a clump each year, allowing you to share with friends when you divide them.

Iris have orchid-like flowers. Nine to 12 buds are usually found growing on short side branches on each stem. Each blossom lasts about three days. The three upright petals are called standards. Three sepals hand downward and are known as falls. Iris may have standards and falls of the same color or standards may be one colour and falls a different colour. Principal iris colours are lavender, blue, white, purple, rose-red, yellow, pink, brown or various combinations and blends of these colours. The beard is the fuzzy, fringed appendage above the falls.

The two major requirements for successfully growing all classes of bearded iris are full sun and good drainage. The plants grow well in almost any good garden soil, but are less susceptible to disease, such as root rot, in soils of only moderate fertility. Extremely heavy, rich soils tend to produce soft growth. This increases problems with root rot, the most serious problem with iris. Iris should not be crowded by other plants that over-shadow or mat closely about root and foliage. Keep iris free of weeds by practicing clean, shallow cultivation. Free air movement in and about iris plants is the best insurance against foliage diseases.

Bearded iris and many of the beardless types grow from an underground structure called a rhizome. This is a fleshy stem from which extend the true, stringy roots. These rhizomes branch and in time overgrow and crowd each other so that it is necessary to dig and divide every three to four years under ordinary culture. The division should be reduced to a single, current-season rhizome with a single fan of leaves. Cut the leaves back to a length of 6 to 9 inches. Always discard weak or diseased parts.

Set the division in a shallow hole large enough to accommodate the division and the attached fibrous roots. Cover the top of the rhizome with only 1/2 inch of soil. Depth of planting is particularly important in heavy, clay soils where drainage may be impeded.