The coastal gardener:Repeat bloomers not just for expert gardeners

Why have a rose in your garden if it only blooms in spring and never again all year? Would you plant geraniums if they only bloomed for 30 days each year?

How about bougainvillea, hibiscus or lantana? If you had a choice, would you choose a once-blooming, spring-only variety, or would you choose one that offered several months of blooms?

Although the answer is obvious for roses, geraniums and hibiscus, many bearded iris are still bought every year in Orange County that produce only one bloom cycle every year. Armed with a little knowledge and a bit of diligence, today’s gardeners can grow varieties that provide multiple bloom cycles every year.

Varieties like Frequent Violet (violet), Total Recall (soft yellow), Mary Frances (lavender), Victoria Falls (light blue) and a few others, all reliably repeat-bloom in coastal Orange County gardens. It is a complicated combination of economics, weather, marketing and the conservative nature of growers and gardeners alike that other, less floriferous varieties are still on the market. And gardeners, not knowing any better, still plant them.

Few of the bearded iris being sold are truly repeat-blooming varieties. Even when the label says “repeat-blooming,” it may be misleading. An iris that repeat-blooms in Yorba Linda may not in Newport Beach, and vice-versa. This is even truer south of Portland, Ore., where most of the bearded iris sold in the U.S. are grown. Growers can’t provide this much detail on their packaging, so don’t rely completely on the label, catalogs or even the Internet.

To make an intelligent decision, you’ll need to search for local information from a knowledgeable source.

Right now, in the heat of summer, is the perfect time to select and plant bearded iris. Bearded iris are not bulbs. Although they are often grouped with daffodils, tulips, ranunculus and others in books, catalogs and nursery displays, they are quite different in many ways.

First, bearded iris do not go dormant in Southern California. Because of this, they should be planted as soon as possible after purchasing, unlike most flower bulbs, which shouldn’t go into the ground for months. August and September are also the best times to divide crowded clumps of iris in your garden — a necessary and relatively easy chore. Depending on the aggressiveness of the variety, clumps should be divided every three or four years.

Dividing clumps of iris often frightens novice gardeners, but it is a simple process. Begin by pushing a shovel into the soil a few inches past the edge of the clump. Pull back the handle a bit to loosen the soil. Continue until the entire clump is encircled, then push the shovel all the way under the clump and force the shallow rhizomes upward. It’s OK if the clump begins breaking apart. That’s what you want.

Now, remove all of the rhizomes from the soil, knocking the soil off as you go. With your hands, break the living rhizomes away from the old, dead rhizomes behind them. Live rhizomes will have a growth tip with leaves on one end. Throw the old, leafless rhizomes away.

Now you’ll have fresh, young rhizomes ready to re-plant. To prepare them for replanting, with your shears, cut the foliage on each rhizome straight across at about six or eight inches.

Now, re-plant the biggest five or seven rhizomes back into their original location and give them a good soaking. The rest can be planted in similar clumps elsewhere in your garden or given to friends.

Now is the perfect time to select bearded iris for your garden or to divide existing clumps in your garden. You have a choice; iris that bloom once or iris that repeat bloom.

Note: In last week’s column I mentioned that Elephant Ears is related to edible Taro (Colocasia esculenta). Elephant Ears are not edible. Even the commercial forms of this plant must be cooked properly before being eaten or they will cause severe irritation and burning of the mouth and throat.

ASK RON

Question: My mint (just the ordinary kind), in a large pot, is looking awful. It just occurred to me that it may be a cool-weather plant and that nothing can be done about it at this time. Is it?

I attend your seminars regularly and have learned so much. Thank you.

Ellen

Newport Beach

Answer: Actually, mints are warm-weather plants. They love the summer, but hate the winter. However, mint also is a very thirsty plant, needing nearly constant moisture to look its best. My guess is it isn’t getting enough water. If you cannot keep the soil moist, try keeping the pot in an oversized saucer of water during the summer.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail [email protected], or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.