Iris s. Silver Edge
Notify MeThe detail that names this iris is a hairline of silvery white running right around the edge of every petal. Iris sibirica 'Silver Edge' opens mid-blue flowers in a classic fleur-de-lis shape, standards up and falls out, with a white and yellow blaze at the throat and that pale rim catching the light. It is a detail worth planting close to a path. It flowers from November into January.
Grow it where the flowers will be seen at short range, along a path edge, beside steps, or in the front half of a border rather than at the back. It also suits a damp corner or the margin of a pond, and the fine upright foliage works as a vertical note among looser perennials all season. Good for cutting.
Give it sun or the lightest shade, in moisture-retentive soil that still drains, and add grit when planting into heavy clay. Siberian iris ask very little beyond steady summer moisture and a position that is not baked dry. Set rhizomes shallowly, 45 cm apart. Lift and split clumps during autumn dormancy when the middle stops flowering.
Reaches around 0.7 to 0.75 m tall with a clump 0.5 m across.
Trimming: Remove each flowered stem at the base as it finishes. Shear the leaves down once they colour up in late autumn. Split congested clumps in autumn, discarding the woody centre and replanting the outer fans.
Deadheading: Remove faded flowers if you want the silver edging on the newer flowers to stand out, since browning petals sit right beside opening buds on the same stem.
Fertilising: One spring feed is sufficient, with compost worked in around the clump but not over the rhizome. Excess nitrogen produces leaf at the expense of flower.
Watering: Water regularly from September to December. Consistent moisture during bud formation is what produces a full head of flowers on each stem.
Pest Control: Damage to developing buds shows badly on a cultivar grown for a fine petal edge, and molluscs are what cause it. Bait or trap early in the season, before the buds form.
Disease Management: Leaf spot marks the foliage with brown patches in wet weather. Remove affected leaves and clear old growth in autumn. Rhizome rot is uncommon in Siberians but can follow waterlogged winter soil.
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