Iris - Dry soils

These are the sun loving Bearded Iris, the rhizomes of which love to be baked in full sun. All make noticible fans of foliage and flower from mid May till mid June. After flowering cut the now untidy foliage to the ground to encourage fresh fans. It is also the best time to split and divide the clumps remembering to plant the rhizomes so the top is exposed to the sun.

Iris forms are legion, and almost all attract pollinators, especially the larger bees. The only possible exceptions are those highly bred, flouncy cultivars whose petal modifications may make nectar in particular more inaccessible. Some, like the winter/early spring-flowering forms such as the reticulata and unguicularis types and the species that produce bright berries (especially I. foetidissima) provide an important food resource for winter birds, from pheasants to blackbirds.