Bearded iris are another of the very easy to grow perennials. The color purple is most often associated with bearded iris but you will find bearded iris in almost every color imaginable.

Bearded iris has a thick fleshy root called a “rhizome”. The leaves of the bearded iris are long, flat and pointed and grow in an overlapping fan-like way. While most bearded iris bloom in the springtime, there are some that rebloom.

Pick a sunny spot to plant your bearded iris. The rhizome should not be covered with soil when planting. The feeder roots that come off the rhizome must be firmly planted but the rhizome of the bearded iris should be just barely beneath the surface of the soil. An important thing to remember when planting bearded iris is good drainage. If the rhizome is planted too deeply or in soil that stays wet it will rot.

In about 3 or 4 years, your bearded iris will begin to crowd each other and you will want to divide the plant, cutting the newer parts of the rhizome free from the old. Throw the old rhizome away and replant the newer ones or share them with your friends. This digging and separating is best done a one or two months after the bearded iris bloom. This gives the new rhizomes time to grow feeder roots which help to hold the plant firmly during the winter.

While I don’t recommend total neglect of your flower gardens, bearded iris are so reliable that they will live despite being neglected. The house I currently live in had an badly overgrown, very neglected flower bed when I moved in. The first spring we cleaned up the overgrowth and found bearded iris planted there. The second spring, this past year, I had beautiful purple and white and yellow and white bearded iris.