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| Super Ego Siberian Iris |
There are few conifer gardens that don't incorporate a number of grasses into the mix. I do enjoy the look of grasses with conifers, but my grass palette is somewhat limited as I experiment with cultivars that won't eventually become garden thugs. I have this unexplained fear of grasses going wild with rhizomatic or self-seeding activity... I'm not sure where my concern comes from, but it is a fear that causes me to be very careful as to what I plant in that regard.
A plant that I am definitely not concerned about being a thug is siberian iris. It has the season long look of a grass... and what a marvelous bonus when it blooms... and it complements conifers beautifully. I love to see the siberians in mass in the gardens and for that reason have added many new cultivars over the past couple of years.
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| A clump of siberians with Picea pungens 'Montgomery' |
The siberians are welcome bloom at a time when I don't have a lot of other things going on in the gardens. Intersectional peonies have a similar bloom time... I am especially impressed with the combination of siberians and Bartzella, my favorite yellow intersectional.
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| Peonies, including Bartzella, and siberian iris |
Where native, the siberians prefer damp meadows, swampy areas, or the banks of a stream. They do just fine for me in the rich loam here at Oak Lawn, especially with a bit of mulching. Their native lands include Southwestern Europe to the Balkans and southern Russia... selections can range from 18" to over four feet in height. They also can be allowed to self-mulch if one doesn't mind the look that creates in the garden.
Siberians blend well with conifers, especially selections of blue spruce... in this photo they underscore the orienpet lilies which will bring blossoms and color later in the season. Other conifers include a young Abies koreana 'Silberlocke' and a nice example the of Picea glauca 'Pendula' just to the right of center.
In the following photo, Siberians accompany a sculptural Chamaecyparis, Picea abies "Mucronata", and other conifers.
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Here siberians complement the yellow tones of a Taxodium distichum (Bald cypress) and in the second photo a large Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca var. Densata) and a weeping white pine (Pinus strobus Pendula).
A Picea orientalis 'Skylands' also combines well with the purple of siberians.
I truly do appreciate vertical accents in my gardens which can sometimes be a problem to maintain here in the windy midwest. Siberians are one way to fill that garden niche. I'll close with a few more examples of some of the siberians I have in the gardens. Given a couple years, there will be many more as recent additions begin to develop some size. Until next time... Larry
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