Irises - general information, classification

General information

Iris (family Iris). In common parlance, killer whale, cockerel. IN natural conditions grows in Europe, Asia, North America and on the Mediterranean coast North Africa. In total, up to 250 species of iris have been described. In our country, it is distributed in the Central Asian republics, Transcaucasia, the Caucasus, Moldova, Siberia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Non-Black Earth zone of the Russian Federation and other zones, where there are up to 60 wild species.

Some representatives of the iris genus have adapted to growing in damp places along river banks and in low places, others - on dry calcareous slopes and even in saline areas. The wide range of the genus indicates the great ecological plasticity of this plant. For example, Russian iris grows successfully under natural conditions in Siberia, the Carpathians, and Central Asia.

Iris is a fairly well-wintering perennial polycarpic herbaceous monocot with broadly or narrowly xiphoid linear vaginal basal leaves located in fan-shaped bunches at the top of growing vegetative shoots. The leaves are arranged alternately in one plane and pressed tightly against one another. Depending on the varietal and biological features and the age of the plant, the fan-shaped bunch consists of 6–10 leaves, with the exception of more than 12.

Depending on the type of iris leaf length varies significantly:

• in short forms from 5 to 10 cm
• in powerfully developed species, leaves reach a length of 2 m
• in cultivated varieties belonging to the garden iris, the length of the leaf blade reaches 6–110 cm with a width of 2.5–6 cm.

The color of the leaves at the beginning of the growing season is light green; by the flowering period, when a waxy coating appears, it becomes dark green with a bluish tint. The leaves are tough, with rough parallel nerves and a large amount of sclerenchyma tissue, which contributes to their strength.

Some types of iris, such as the Siberian iris, are quite shade-tolerant and can grow successfully and bloom regularly in shaded areas. Cultivated varieties of garden hybrid iris are demanding on lighting. They can grow satisfactorily in shaded areas, but abundant annual flowering usually occurs when planted in open sunny areas. In the southern regions of our country, when there is plenty of sun, light shading of plants is sometimes useful.

Classification of irises

In gardening practice, a simplified classification is usually used, which often does not take into account the degree of genetic relatedness between plants. Abroad, it is widely accepted to divide irises into 13 or 17 groups.

Without breaking general principle, iris growers in our country proposed dividing garden irises into 10 groups:

1. bearded,
2. Aril and Arilbreds,
3. Louisiana,
4. Pacific coast irises,
5. Siberian,
6. spuria,
7. Hana-shobu, or Japanese,
8. Evansia,
9. remontant,
10. little known.

Modern varieties used in cultivation with a complex genetic nature, originating from both intervarietal and interspecific crossings and belonging to the bearded group, are united under the name German iris, or garden hybrid iris. According to the height of the peduncle, all varieties are divided into low-growing - up to 40 cm, medium-growing - from 40 to 70 cm and tall - over 70 cm; according to the size of the flowers - small-flowered (width within the bend of the outer lobes 6-8 cm), medium - perianth width from 8 to 10 cm, large-flowered - over 10 cm; according to the color of the perianth lobes - into one-color, two-color and plicate.

The iris rhizome is the vegetative underground stem of the plant. It has a stem growing point and cambial cells. Scales (modified leaves) are formed at the nodes of the rhizome. In the axils of the scales, vegetative buds are laid and formed, giving rise to new underground thickened shoots. The latter are connected to each other by constrictions. Traces of attachment of leaves from previous years are noticeable on the constrictions and there may be dormant buds, which, as a rule, when normal development plants do not awaken in favorable seasons.

The rhizome consists of shortened and thickened annual segments, called links in practice. The development of each such link usually lasts two years. Almost three growing seasons pass from the initiation of a vegetative bud in the leaf axils to the death of the generative shoot. On the young (juvenile) annual link of the rhizome, intensive formation and differentiation of vegetative buds begins in early July. At the end of July, a generative bud is formed, the differentiation and formation of which most actively occurs in late August - September. By the end of October - beginning of November, the formation of all inflorescence organs and flowers is completed and everything is covered with involucre leaves.

On next year During the life cycle, leaves develop from vegetative buds, in the axils of which new buds are laid and formed. A generative shoot develops from a generative bud. After the seeds ripen, the peduncle dies. At the base of the dying peduncle, two large vegetative buds are formed on the vegetative shoot, from which new annual links with lateral vegetative and central generative buds develop the next year.

Adult iris plants on poor soils with poor care and insufficient moisture supply do not lay flower buds annually, and the annual links of the vegetative shoot are shortened and thinned. All lateral buds become dormant, and the rhizome loses its ability to branch. Such a rhizome usually forms only vegetative organs over several years. After accumulation sufficient quantity reserve substances, the plant begins to flower, forming cyclic shoots.

Annual shoots of the rhizome - links in cultivated varieties can reach a length of 8–15 cm with a thickness of up to 5 cm and, as a rule, carry a huge reserve nutrients, primarily in the form of complex carbohydrates. New links grow to the sides and slightly upward, which allows the plant to grow in a circle. Young links, exposed and emerging on the soil surface, move away from the place where the plant was initially planted, but the connection between them remains.

The viability of the rhizome depends on the species and varietal characteristics, as well as on the meteorological conditions of the growing area. In the southern regions of Ukraine and Moldova, the rhizome dies off in the 6th–8th year, in the Non-Chernozem zone - in the 3rd–5th year.

The rhizome grows on the upper side, and gradually dies off on the lower side, which leads to the separation of young plants, that is, the rhizome ruptures in the center of the plant. In garden and park plantings, an overgrown plant with an empty middle loses its decorative effect. In addition, old plants are more susceptible to fungal diseases.

Young, actively functioning rhizomes are covered with vaginal leaves and have developed cord-like adventitious roots on the underside. These roots are located almost vertically downwards. On well-cultivated soils, iris roots are able to penetrate to a depth of more than 50 cm.

The rhizomes of most iris species are located in the very top layer soil or spread on its surface. In varieties of garden hybrid iris, during the period of growth of links, the rhizome rises somewhat. Then the powerfully developing contractile roots of the second wave of growth, going deeper into the soil, contract, retract and firmly hold the rhizome. If iris plants are not replanted for a long time (some varieties and species can grow in one place for up to 8–10 years), then individual links are forced to the surface. Such plantings are hilled up and insulated before wintering.

In the place where the leaves are attached, after they die off, leaf scars remain on the annual link of the rhizome. The withered flowering stem at the top of the rhizome leaves depressions that are covered with cork tissue. Healing depends on agricultural technology, conditions of the growing season and determines the duration of viability of the entire rhizome. When digging up an old rhizome, you can accurately determine the age of the plant and the alternation of favorable and unfavorable seasons by the number of leaf marks on its annual links. The indentations in the upper part of the rhizome can be used to determine the frequency of flowering.

Iris flowers

The garden hybrid iris has three types of generative shoots:

• sessile,
• short-branched,
• long-branched.

The flowering stem is quite tall, erect, cylindrical, strong and durable due to the development of mechanical tissue, reaching a height of 100 cm. By the end of flowering (during the formation of seeds), the flowering stem becomes hollow.

The iris flower is bisexual, single-covered, simple, with bracts sitting at the ends of the peduncles. In most species, the perianth has six petals, arranged, like those of the gladiolus, in two circles: three on the outside, three on the outside. inside. The three outer perianth lobes are often bent downwards, sometimes located more vertically. The three internal lobes are raised upward and often close at their ends. This unusual arrangement of the inner and outer perianth lobes makes the flower very unique.

The upper wide part of the petal is usually called the plate, and the lower part, tapering and thickening towards the base, is called the marigold. The narrowed parts of the perianth grow together at the bases, forming a tube, the length of which depends on the type of plant. The outer lobes perform main role in the mechanism of opening and closing a flower.

The beard of the garden hybrid iris consists of multicellular hairs along which insects penetrate to the nectaries. Nectar-bearing glands are located at the base of the filament and fill small cavities with nectar. The uneven hairy surface of the beard causes insects to rise when moving along the petals. Touching the stigma of the pistil, they apply pollen with their backs, which fell on them when visiting other iris flowers. If the beard has a contrasting color compared to the color of the flower, then the decorative effect of the latter benefits from this.

This plant has pronounced proterandry, that is, the anthers burst and pollen spills out of them before the stigma is ready to receive it. Pollen remains viable on the flower for 2–3 days. On the inflorescence, the flowers open sequentially from top to bottom. From 1 to 5 flowers can bloom on an inflorescence at the same time.

Early flowering species and varieties in the Non-Chernozem Zone bloom in the first half of May, late varieties - in July. Therefore, when correct selection varieties and species, the flowering of irises can be extended up to 80 days.

The fruit is a membranous capsule of a brown or brownish-straw color, cracking at the top, filled with large ribbed wingless seeds that have a wedge-shaped, elongated round or ovoid shape. There are 10–24 seeds in a box. The seeds have light or dark brown shades.

I want to leave a memory behind in life, a good memory. Some leave castles on the coast Mediterranean Sea and football clubs, others - yachts and Mercedes, but nothing compares to a new variety of flower. The first is transitory, the second is eternal. Of course, the world's largest breeders are developing new varieties using the latest advances in this field, or varieties that are of global interest. And if, after reading this article about the selection of flower crops, a child or teenager, together with his loved ones, touches on the secret of hybridization (crossing and breeding a new variety), then this will sink into his soul and he will grow up to be a great lover of, say, irises, and maybe even a scientist , – then I wrote this article not in vain.

Gardening brings the family together. Together we cultivate the land, together for our health and the health of our grandchildren and children we obtain an environmentally friendly harvest. And how pleasant and reliable life becomes when the whole family, young and old, gathers in the garden to look at the blossoming flower, over which two years ago the grandparents “conjured”. And then the whole family, taking into account the opinions of the little ones, come up with a name for the new variety of flower.

I am close in spirit to the words of S. N. Loktev, President of the Russian Iris Society: “True love is unthinkable without creativity and creation.”

Let us also try to touch this holy of holies - creativity and creation.

I set myself a difficult task. On the one hand, I want to throw out all the knowledge that was gleaned from the literature on irises, from the bulletins of the Russian Iris Society and my own experience; on the other hand, to present the material simply and clearly, just as a botany teacher once laid out complex things for us on shelves - and everything became simple and understandable.

One of the talented teachers once taught a lesson for... his colleagues. He gave them a lecture on anatomy using a large number of terms, naturally, unfamiliar to his listeners. After the lesson I conducted a survey. Even the teachers only learned five percent of the information.

Therefore, may my fellow iris growers forgive me, I will not use many special terms at once, but will tell you simply and clearly, so that even a ten-year-old child can approach a flower and find those very stamens and pistils, on the pollination of which the fate of the new variety depends .

In order to carry out pollination, you need at least a small collection, in this case tall bearded irises. And, of course, the desire - the dream - to develop a new variety.

Tall bearded irises are designated according to the TV classification; in conditions Leningrad region and depending on weather conditions, they bloom from the third ten days of June to the second ten days of July.

By this time you need to prepare for pollination:
1. Jars for storing pollen.
2. A brush, preferably a core brush, which can be bought in stores for artists.
3. Tweezers.
4. Small scissors.
5. Notebook for notes.
6. Foil for marking (recording) the pollinated flower.

Structure of the bearded iris flower

In Fig. 2 a, b we will see the same flower, but in a schematic form, to understand where these stamens and pistils are hidden.

In Fig. Figure 1 shows a bearded iris flower. The upper petals are called standards, the lower petals are called fouls. The beard, for which irises are called bearded, comes in different colors: white, blue, red, yellow, orange and other shades.

In Fig. 2 and schematically, otherwise it is difficult to understand, those same “stamens” (anthers) and “pistils” are shown.

In a blossoming flower, the anthers first ripen, and after 16–20 hours the stigmas ripen. In Fig. 2 b shows the stigma ready to receive pollen. The stigma bent and opened.

In order to prevent insects from pollinating, and when the flower opens, they curl up and try to get nectar, the lower petals (fouls) and anthers are removed.

The anthers can be placed in a jar or test tube, covered with a cotton swab to prevent the pollen from suffocating, and used to pollinate other flowers. Pollen can be stored at room temperature for up to eight days.
In damp and humid weather it is not worth pollinating. It is best to carry out pollination in the morning or evening.

How to carry out pollination

We marked two flowers. One of them will be the mother plant (the one we will pollinate), the second will be the father plant (the one from which we will take pollen).

We take pollen from the father's plant, carefully cutting off the anther with scissors and placing it in a jar, if we do not pollinate immediately. And if the mother flower is ready, then we pollinate it immediately. The mother flower is ready for pollination at the end of the first day of dissolution, when the stigma opens (see Fig. 2 b).

The pollination technique is simple. Using a brush, we remove pollen from the anthers (see Fig. 1) and apply it to the stigma of the mother plant. After this - don’t rely on memory - be sure to hang a label indicating which flower you crossed with which. The mother plant is recorded first (indicated by a sign), the second is the paternal plant (indicated by a sign).

There you can also indicate the date of pollination. And you put the label on the flower that you pollinated.
But the famous breeder S.N. Loktev believes that pollination must be carried out on the first day of flower dissolution, otherwise the number of bolls will drop sharply.

Ripening seed pods

The ripening of the bolls must be monitored and removed in time. In bearded irises, the capsules turn light green. You must not let them crack, otherwise the seeds may scatter on the ground.

When to sow seedlings?

The opinions of iris growers on this matter are different. Some people think that it should be done right away, then the germination rate will increase. Others believe that it is better in late autumn so that the seeds do not germinate, otherwise frost will destroy the seedlings. Some iris growers grow seedlings at home, like seedlings.

We sow seeds in a bed with good, loose, water- and breathable soil, a sufficient distance of 10–10 centimeters. Planting depth is no more than three seed diameters. For the winter we cover it with spruce branches. The bed should be raised and not flooded for a long time with spring waters.

Another way is through seedlings. At the beginning of February, we sow the seeds in containers and keep them at room temperature for a week. Then we close the container with polyethylene or the same lid and place it under the freezer, where the temperature is from +2 to +5 degrees Celsius, for two months. The earth should not dry out. After stratification, as the process described above is called, we place the containers in a bright and warm place. In spring we plant them in garden beds. I prefer the second method, but this is feasible with small numbers of seedlings.

At good care seedlings bloom in the second or third year. But I repeat that sown seeds often germinate in the third year. Don't forget about the labeling. We sowed a number of seedlings from one box and placed a peg with markings.

For marking, I use foil from aluminum containers, which are found in many old TVs. When the seedlings bloom, you need to choose the best, most beautiful.

Registration of seedlings

Seedlings are registered through the Russian Iris Society (ROI) in the AIS (American Iris Society). The registration application costs only 50 rubles for Russian ROI members. But this is not such a simple matter, since the application must provide a description in accordance with accepted terms.

To do this, you need to get acquainted with the literature on irises. A lot of information is provided by the annual newsletters “Irises of Russia”, which are sent to members of the ROI society free of charge.

I always read them from cover to cover with great interest. In addition, the bulletins contain photographs of the latest varieties bred in Russia and around the world, as well as seedlings that have not yet been registered. Often you can’t take your eyes off them.

Strive, learn, discover - and you will plunge into the fabulous world of irises. And let's remember: it is not the gods who burn the pots.

Materials used in the article:
G. I. Rodionenko, “Irises”, 1994
G. I. Rodionenko, “Irises”, 2002
ROI Bulletins for 2005 – 2007.

Elena Litvyakova

Fertile parts of a flower (stamen, pistil). Sterile parts of the flower (calyx, corolla, perianth). A flower is the organ of seed reproduction of angiosperms. In flowers, the formation of micro- and mega-spores, gametes, pollination, fertilization, development of the embryo and the formation of a fruit with seeds occurs. A flower consists of a peduncle, receptacle, perianth, androecium and gynoecium.

The peduncle is the internode under the flower that connects it to the stem. Flowers without pedicels are called sessile. The peduncle may contain leaves called bracts. The receptacle is the extended part of the peduncle to which all other parts of the flower are attached. Most plants have flowers with pistils and stamens and are bisexual. Some plants have unisexual flowers. Depending on the symmetry, actinomorphic, zygomorphic and asymmetrical are distinguished. The perianth can be simple or double, the double perianth consists of a calyx and corolla, the calyx mainly performs a protective function; it consists of sepals, often colored green color, they can be free and fused (like legumes) and form a fused or bell-shaped calyx. In some groups of plants, the calyx is reduced (umbelliferae) or modified (Asteraceae). The corolla has a variety of colors and, as a rule, is significantly larger in size than the calyx. It consists of petals. The petals of insect-pollinated plants are colored bright colors . In wind-pollinated plants they are inconspicuous or absent. A simple perianth consists of identical leaflets and is characteristic of most monocots, as well as some dicots. It is often corolla-shaped (brightly colored) and sometimes cup-shaped (green). The collection of stamens in a flower is called the androecium. The stamen consists of a filament and an anther. The anther is formed from two halves, each of which is represented by two microsporangia (pollen sacs). In the pollen sac, sporogenic tissue is formed, forming microspores (pollen grains), and during their formation the process of meiosis occurs. The pollen grain is haploid, has two shells and is airborne. A male gametophyte develops in it, which is very reduced and consists of 2 cells: vegetative and generative. The generative cell replaces the antheridium and gives rise to two sperm - male gametes, in contrast to sperm, which lack flagella. A pollen tube is subsequently formed from the vegetative cell. The gynoecium is a collection of carpels in a flower that form one or more pistils. The gynoecium may consist of free carpels, each of which forms a pistil. This type of gynoecium is characteristic of primitive flowering plants (ranunculaceae, legumes). During the process of evolution, the carpels fused together and formed a more complex type of gynoecium. The number of carpels that formed such a gynoecium can be determined by the number of styles on one ovary, the number of stigma lobes, and the number of ovary nests. Typically, the pistil differentiates into an ovary, a style, and a stigma. Depending on the type of receptacle, the ovary may occupy different positions in relation to other flower organs. Inside the ovary there are ovules, the number of which can vary from one to several million. Ovule (megasporangium) is a multicellular formation of seed plants, from which the seed subsequently develops. The ovule is surrounded on the outside by integuments that do not close at the apex, forming a narrow channel - micropyle (pollen passage). The pollen tube penetrates the embryo sac through the micropyle. From one diploid cell of the ovule, 4 haploid megaspores are formed as a result of meiosis. Three of them die off, and one continues to develop. It divides mitotically three times, resulting in the formation of 8 haploid nuclei. Two of them fuse in the center to form a diploid nucleus. This is how the female gametophyte, called the embryo sac, arises. The mature female gametophyte contains an egg cell, a diploid central cell, and a number of accessory cells.

Functions of a flower.

A flower is a modified shortened shoot adapted for the reproduction of angiosperms (flowering) plants.

The exclusive role of the flower is due to the fact that it combines all the processes of asexual and sexual reproduction, while in lower and many higher plants they are separated. In a bisexual flower, micro- and megasporogenesis, micro- and megagametogenesis, pollination, fertilization, and the formation of seeds and fruits take place. The structural features of the flower allow the above functions to be carried out with minimal expenditure of plastic substances and energy.

Flower formula and diagram.

Flower diagram. 1 - inflorescence axis, 2 - bracts, 3 - sepals, 4 - petal, 5 - stamen, 6 - pistil, 7 - covering leaf.

For short and conventional designations of the structure of flowers, formulas are used in which various morphological characteristics are encoded using alphabetic and digital designations: the sex and symmetry of the flower, the number of circles in the flower, as well as the number of members in each circle, the fusion of parts of the flower and the position of the pistils (upper or lower ovary).

The flower formula is a brief description of, its description using symbols. The flower is studied in acropetal order and the following symbols are written in this sequence: polysymmetrical flower (actinomorphic) - *, zygomorphic - , asymmetrical - │:, - then the symbol of the calyx - K (Ca), corolla - C (Co), androecium - A, gynoecium - G, simple perianth (regionium) - P. The number of elements of each part of the flower is indicated by the corresponding number, but if there are more than twelve of these elements by the symbol - ∞; the fact of fusion of parts of a flower is indicated by brackets; the placement of a given part of a flower in different circles is separated by a + sign. The upper ovary is indicated by a line (-) placed under the Karpel number of the gynoecium, the lower ovary - above the number, and the middle one - along with the Karpel number. For example, the formula for rapeseed flower (Barbarea) looks like this: * K4C4A2 +4 G (2); pears (Pyrus): * K5C5A ∞ G (5); tulip (Tulipa): P3 +3 A3 +3 G (3) -; elderberry (Sambucus): * K5C5A5G (3) -.

The most complete picture of the structure of a flower is given by diagrams that represent a schematic projection of the flower onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of the flower and passing through the covering leaf and the axis of the inflorescence or shoot on which the flower is located.

Iris received its generic name during the time of the ancient Greek scientist and naturalist Theophrastus. Due to the rich colors of the flowers, this plant was named after the goddess of the rainbow - Iris. The variety of colors of irises is amazing, which fully justifies its name (Iris translated from ancient Greek means “rainbow”).

In terms of the variety of shades, sophistication of color and structure, the iris flower is comparable to an orchid, which is why in the middle zone the iris is called “ garden orchid».

On chilly winter days, every gardener is transported in his imagination to the enchanting world of colors and the magic of blooming flowers. And when the long-awaited warmth arrives, our favorite irises give us their delightful rainbow flowers.

I live in St. Petersburg, located about 60 degrees north latitude, in the so-called risky farming zone. According to the prevailing opinion, this region is poorly suited for highly ornamental crops, including modern varieties bearded irises. However, based on my many years of experience growing these wonderful plants, I can confidently say that you can enjoy the flowering of irises in our northern latitudes, not to mention middle lane Russia.

Irises in nature and garden

The Iris family, or Iridaceae, is numerous. It includes about 100 genera and 1800 species. In nature, these related plants are found on all continents, and therefore sometimes differ sharply from each other in their requirements for light, heat, and moisture.

Garden irises are divided into several classes. There is still no generally accepted classification of irises in the world.
Americans are the leaders of modern iris growing. The American Iris Society (AIS) has existed since 1928; here its own classification of irises has been developed.
The Russian Iris Society (ROI), of which I am a member, has existed for 15 years. And it also introduced its own classification of irises.

The only class that does not cause controversy among experts is the class of Standard Tall Bearded Irises. This is the largest and most popular group of garden irises.

Classification and flowering dates of bearded irises

Bearded irises are divided into several classes:
- Tall bearded irises (TB) – tall plants With large flowers; peduncle at least 70 cm, up to 120 cm. This class is sometimes called German iris.
- Curb beardedirises(BB) - plants with a peduncle height in the range from 41 to 70 cm. They bloom simultaneously with the previous class.
- Miniature tall beardedirises (MTB) have a stem height of 41 to 70 cm and bloom at the same time, but differ from the previous class in more miniature flowers and thin stems.
- Sideshow irises (I.B.) - plants of the same height (from 41 to 70 cm). Bloom after dwarf irises, in front of tall bearded irises.
- Standard dwarf bearded irises (S.D.B.) – peduncle height from 21 to 40 cm; bloom after Miniature Dwarf irises.
- Miniature dwarf bearded irises (MDB) - the earliest flowering and smallest bearded irises, peduncle height up to 20 cm.

According to their flowering time, iris varieties are divided into:
OR (VE) - Very Early;
P (E) – Early;
S (M) – Average;
SP (ML) – Medium-late;
P (L) – Late;
OP (VL) - Very Late.

Selecting varieties of irises with different flowering periods will allow you to admire blooming irises in the garden for a long time.

Structure of the bearded iris flower

Let's look at some terms used in iris growing.

The iris flower consists of 6 perianth lobes:
- fouls- three lower petals (outer perianth lobes);
- standards- upper petals forming a dome (inner perianth lobes).
Goateeiris- thick bristly villi, which are located on the upper part of each of the three lower petals (fouls) starting from their base.
Inside the iris flower, under the double protection of the standards and pistil are located stamens with anthers.
Pistil column iris flower divided into three wide blades, each of which ends supraglottic ridge.
Shoulders- the edges of the lower petals of a flower at their bases.
Lace- blistering along the edges of iris petals.

Coloring of bearded irises

A novice iris grower needs to learn the division of iris varieties by color:
- Single coloririses (self) - their perianth lobes are colored the same. They come in white, blue, indigo, purple, lilac, pink, yellow, brown, red and almost black. For example: red-brown varieties “African Mahogani”, “Vitafire”. Black varieties include “Superstition”, “Black tie Affair”.
- Two-tone irises (bitone) - have different shades in the upper and lower lobes of the perianth. So, the upper petals can be lilac, and the lower petals can be purple. Such varieties are called " neglikta" An example of a two-tone iris: the flower of the Thor Gun variety has pink top and dark pink bottom.
- Bicolor irises (bicolor) - have upper and lower petals of different colors. For example, the variety "Havana".

Among the two-color irises, the following stand out:
- Amena (amoena) - varieties with upper white petals in any color combination with the lower ones (for example, the “Margarita” variety);
- Variegata (variegate) – varieties with yellow upper petals and dark red bottom (for example, Creme d, OR);
- iridescent(Blend) – varieties in which the flowers are painted in several colors, gradually turning into each other (for example, varieties “Planned Treasure”, “Celebration song”).
- Plicata (plicata) - on the perianth lobes of the iris there is a pattern: dark strokes or dots, or a contrasting border on white, yellow or pink background(for example, varieties “Can Can Red”, “Huckleberry Fudge”).
- Luminata- a pattern of light veins on a dark background of the iris perianth lobes;
- Fancy plicata– a pattern on iris petals, combining plicate and luminata patterns;

Selection and purchase of bearded irises

The variety of shapes and colors of flowers in bearded iris varieties is inexhaustible. This creates rich opportunities for, which is not so complicated.

Hundreds of new varieties of bearded irises are registered every year, and the largest number of them are tall bearded irises.

Currently, over 60,000 varieties of bearded irises are registered in the world. The first place in breeding work so far belongs to the United States. The largest iris growing companies are also located there: “Schreiner Iris Gardens”, “Mid America Gardens”, etc.

There are also iris growing companies in Australia and France. The Dutch do not know how to grow bearded irises, so we will leave bulbous plants in their competence.

It is very difficult for Russians to order irises abroad - they must have a quarantine permit obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture, and also go through a number of bureaucratic obstacles (including our customs). All this requires a lot of time, expense and worry. Therefore, it is easier to find out the address of a reliable iris collector, a member of the ROI, and familiarize yourself with his catalog. Make an order in advance in the spring, which will be confirmed after prepayment.
I do not recommend purchasing irises from random people, and also in beautiful factory packaging. Believe my bitter experience - except for disappointment, these dubious acquisitions will not bring anything. It would be good if, instead of the “Idis Wolford” shown on the package, the people’s favorite “Stepping Out” or “Margarita” blossoms. Usually, instead of the mentioned varieties, nondescript gray-brown iris grows.

Tall bearded irises are very popular in the world. At least one or more of these varieties can be found in almost every garden of a Russian flower lover.

Irises interlude - a magnificent middle

Another class of bearded irises, which is still little familiar to most gardeners, is the medium-sized irises.
In order not to overburden readers with numerous terms on English language, I will not describe their features in detail.
Some iris growers call medium-sized irises, according to the generally accepted classification of the American Iris Society, “interlude.”

IN Russian society This class of iris is called the connecting medium-sized bearded irises. Varieties of this class are united by the height of the peduncle, varying between 41-70 cm. They are located between the most common class - tall bearded irises, the height of the peduncle of which often reaches a meter - and dwarf irises with a height of less than 40 cm. Therefore, in the iris growing literature, medium-sized irises are nicknamed " golden mean."

However, these “average” irises are far ahead of tall bearded irises in terms of vitality. They are more frost-resistant, and are also more resistant to the scourge of irises - bacteriosis, which usually attacks plantings in mid-summer and causes significant harm to the most valuable varieties of tall irises.

In our capricious St. Petersburg climate, at the peak of flowering of tall bearded irises (usually mid-June, at temperatures above +25 degrees), wind and rain often blow. The elements deal a sudden blow and cause irreparable harm to blooming irises - the opened flowers are filled with moisture; The peduncle cannot stand it and falls.
Unfortunately, this often coincides with the annual iris exhibition. Bad weather negatively affects the quality of selected plants for the exhibition, for public viewing and judging.

Medium height bearded irises this problem does not threaten, since they have already bloomed beautifully in the May sun. And for those varieties that are still blooming, gusts of wind are not scary - the “average” varieties have a squat and strong peduncle.

Medium-sized irises are indispensable in mixborders. Their overgrown clumps stand out brightly against the background and.
Sideshows are often used by landscapers in their work, and are also grown by lovers of “lazy” gardens.

A bright white-yellow spot, attracting everyone’s attention from afar, stands out in my garden as a clump of irises of the “Protokol” variety by the American breeder Keppel. The medium-sized border iris “Brown Lasso” looks great - its yellow-lilac petals are framed by a brown border.
The “Vatik” variety looks unusual: on the blue background of its petals there seems to be a fancy pattern of white stripes.
Medium-sized irises of the “Country Dance” variety (pink-orange color) and the “Dark Waters” variety (black-violet color) planted nearby create a magnificent contrast and well-combined color scheme.
The Australian variety “Lyrique” looks magnificent and mysterious in my garden: a flashy wine-plum spot stands out against the silver-blue background of its petals.

The small number of varieties of medium-sized irises is explained by the complexity of breeding work. The pollen necessary for breeding new varieties is mostly fertile - as a result, seed pods do not set well. However, thanks painstaking work foreign breeders and domestic iris growers, new and increasingly decorative varieties medium-sized irises.

Favorite irises

Iris refers to iris family, or iris. This family includes such beautiful perennial ornamental plants as gladiolus, tigridia, montbretia, crocus and others.

Iris flowers very peculiar: they have no sepals or petals. The beauty and charm of the iris flower is made up of 6 petal-shaped tepals. They are called perianth lobes. They are located in 2 tiers: the outer lobes are lowered downwards (they are often called lower petals, in the future we will call them that), the inner lobes are in the upper tier, forming a kind of dome (they are called upper or standing petals). The beards located on the lower petals of bearded irises are often mistaken for stamens. The real stamens with anthers are located inside the flowers under the double protection of the upper petals and a peculiarly arranged pistil, divided into three petal-shaped lobes that look like grooves. The end of each lobe bends upward, forming a serrated supra-stigmatic ridge, under which are the stigma and stamens.

Pollinated irises with the help of insects (bees, bumblebees), which are attracted by the nectar released in the flower, and the outer lobes of the perianth serve as a kind of landing site. The role of the internal lobes of the perianth in the life of the flower has decreased, which explains the fact that in certain species of irises they have sharply decreased (for example, in marsh, Japanese and other beardless irises). At the same time, the changed design of the pistil gives many beardless irises an unusual, exotic appearance, for example, spuria irises, wild Georgian irises, paradoxical irises, etc.

The common feature that unites these irises, - absence of a beard on the outer petals. Flowers by appearance They differ significantly from the flowers of bearded irises in that their inner petals are sometimes reduced to the size of bristles, so this is even included in the name bristle-bearing iris (setosa), whose flowers seem to be sin-petalled. Thanks to these proportions of the outer and inner petals, developed decorative lobes of the style with supra-styllicular ridges stand out, giving the flowers of these irises their originality.

By crossing in nature, irises form new variants both in flower proportions and color. This variability is widely used by breeders who, using artificial pollination create new varieties.