Siberian irises (lat. Iris sibirica) - the most enduring and practical of all representatives of this genus of plants. Siberian irises have been widely used in garden landscaping.
This flower is very unpretentious to the conditions of growth and is able to survive normally without care from the gardener.
This article is devoted to the features of planting and reproduction of plants, care for them.
a brief description of
The network has a lot of information about Siberian iris, a lot of different photos of this plant and different descriptions, but often these articles contain information about bearded and Siberian irises because of their extreme similarity. We will try to decide for ourselves what this flower represents. 
Siberian Iris - a perennial plant of grass type, the stem height of which reaches 70-110 cm. The leaves, as a rule, are significantly shorter than the stem: their length is up to 50-80 cm, and width is up to 4 cm. In their structure, they are linear, elongated upwards, quite soft to the touch, green tint.
Did you know? Translated from the Greek "iris" means "rainbow".
There are varieties of plants with flowers of different color - purple, blue, violet, yellow, red-violet, sometimes you can also see orange and brown shades. Each individual flower reaches 4-7 cm in diameter, its outer lobes have a very specific elongated shape, and there is no pronounced transition of the nail into the plate.
Crocusia, saffron, freesia, gladiolus belong to the Iris family.
How to choose a quality planting material with the purchase
When making a purchase, you must carefully examine them for satisfaction. the following criteria:
- The root system must be strong in appearance and have no damage.
- Quality iris seedlings should have young and well-developed buds on the sides.
- Pay attention to the color of the leaves: it is recommended to buy delenki, the leaves of which have a rich dark green shade.
Important! If the seedling root has soft parts, even small in size, the purchase of such planting material should be abandoned, since this increases the risk that the young plant will not tolerate the transplant and will die.
Yellowish leaves on the seedlings indicate that the roots of the plant have been dried for at least several days. Such specimens are suitable for planting, but rather poorly tolerated transportation in cellophane bags, where they often begin to rot. 
Choosing a landing site
This flower belongs to the light-loving plants, so it is recommended to choose open areas with a lot of sunlight for planting, but it should be borne in mind that if it is planted in southern latitudes, excessively intense solar radiation can damage a young plant. Therefore, in the south it is worth planting this flower in a shaded area in which the plant will be lit only in the mornings or evenings.
Did you know? In Ukraine, irises are called "pivniki" - "cockerels". The name "Iris" came to Russia only in the second half of the nineteenth century, before this plant was called "iris".
Siberian irises can normally exist even in conditions of dense shade, but the flowering process in such conditions is unlikely to start. The lower the light level, the later and less violently the plant will bloom.
You can, without fear, plant them in well-blown areas, as they are not afraid of drafts and squally wind. The stems of this flower never wilder, the leaves always steadily clums to the heavens, and the flowers do not break off. 
Site preparation
For planting this flower will fit almost any soil. Due to the rather unpretentious nature of the iris, however, it is still worth avoiding too poor, too acidic or too alkaline soils.
The most comfortable for the iris will be well-retaining water, dense, pre-treated soil with slightly acidic or neutral reaction, for example, loam with a high concentration of humus.
Landing should be preceded by the land digging and adjustment of its characteristics in case of such need, for example, 200 g of wood ash should be added to 1 square meter of soil to restore the natural soil pH. In the process of digging should be very carefully choose all the roots of weeds. 
Stepwise landing process
Between flowerbeds with irises it is necessary to maintain a distance of not less than 60 cm. These flowers every year build up more and more lush flowerbeds around themselves, and decades later their area may exceed 2 square meters. m. Recommended landing in the period from the second half of August until mid-September or early May.
Important! In the spring periods, with early thaws, the root systems of irises can creep to the surface. In this case, they need to immediately cover the ground and try to bury.
The planting process in general terms is as follows:
- A hole is dug, which is individual for each plant: the depth is formed on the basis of the calculation - the length of the root system of the seedling + 3-5 cm; width and length - 0.4-0.5 m.
- In the planting hole, the seedlings are buried, carefully observing that the rhizomes do not bend.
- Then the plant is covered with fertile soil, compacted around young flowers and watered.
- Cover the ground around the perimeter of the stem with mowed grass, peat or compost (layer thickness 3-5 cm).
Use in landscape design
Siberian Iris has found the broadest application in landscape design. Below are ideas for using it in decorating your site:
- On the back of the mixborder or in the central part of the island flowerbeds. Especially good in these plantings are combining varieties of Siberians with flowers of white or blue shades against the background of orange color kupavok.
- In the complex of complex flower gardens, you can plant this flower to a level that is below the planting level of most plants in a flower bed. From such a move, the flower garden will add significantly to the aesthetic effect.
- If you plan to make a group planting, which will consist only of irises, you need to choose varieties so that they are in harmony by color and bloom approximately in the same period. Good visual effect is given by flowers of various shades of one color scale. In this case, the plants with the lightest flowers should rise above the rest.
- A lone bush iris will look good on the background of a lawn or wall.
- Be sure to try to apply this plant to decorate the pond. The leaves of the xiphoid shape, resembling reeds, look very naturally against the background of water.
Successful neighbors for irises - this is Rogers, laureate, astilbe, carnation Chinese, arabis.
Care tips for lush flowering
As mentioned earlier, the Siberian iris is a very unpretentious plant, but to get the best results in its cultivation, you should still take minimal measures to care for the flower, followed by the best reward for the gardener when the Siberian iris blooms.
Watering
Irrigation spend not regularly and as the need arises, to maintain the overall soil moisture and in particularly dry summer periods. Siberians are not afraid of drought, however, they will react extremely positively to additional moisture during the growing season.
It will help to achieve the best level of soil moisture and eliminate the need to make everyday irrigation a layer of mulch 3-5 centimeters thick, preferably from mowed grass or fallen pine needles.
The best time to perform the irrigation of this plant is considered to be early morning (no later than noon) or evening, after 17:00. When watering, it is advisable not to get moisture on the flower petals, as this may contribute to the loss of their aesthetic qualities. 
Top dressing
Total for the year held three dressing this flower. The first - in early spring, with the help of complete mineral fertilizer, which is scattered around the bush. You can use, for example, "Kemira-universal" in a dose of 60-80 g per flower. Granules should be carefully put up with the help of a chopper into the soil, so that they do not fall on the young shoots and do not harm their development.
The second feeding is done during the period of bud formation, it is designed to prolong and improve the quality of flowering and help the plant to form as large flowers as possible. Both mineral and organic (manure, compost, herbal extracts) substances are suitable for this top dressing.
The third time irises fertilize after a period of flowering - this is dictated by the need to restore the forces expended on the formation of flowers. Potash-phosphorus nutrients with the lowest nitrogen content in them (ideally, completely without it) should be used in this feed, for example, bone meal or superphosphate. 
Pruning
All pruning is to remove flower stalks after the flowering period and preparing for wintering by cutting the foliage. The latter should be started only after the arrival of significant frosts, when the process of formation of flower buds stops, and the first frost begins to form on the leaves.
The leaves are cut at a height of 10-15 cm, but do not do it too soon, because too early pruning can lead to a weakening of flowering next year. If you are not sure about the time of pruning - leave this case until early spring, pruning can be done a couple of days before the first feeding.
Preparing for the winter
The name speaks for itself - Siberian, which means it is completely adapted to our winters. In addition to the pruning described above, when preparing for wintering and covering up the rhizome, if it has come to the surface, with the help of mulch or a fertile layer of earth, no further measures are needed.
Transplanting and division of rhizomes
Siberian iris breeds only with vegetative techniquesAs a rule, young plants are planted after separation of the rhizomes. The optimal period for the procedure is the so-called rest period, which comes a month after the flowering period.
Separation of the maternal bush and transplantation can be carried out in the period from mid-August until the beginning of autumn, and under particularly favorable conditions - right up to the last days of October.
The procedure for the separation of the mother plant is as follows: the curtain is cut to a third of the height of the leaves and remove the shrub from the ground, trying to keep a lump of earth on the roots. Next, the rhizome with a shovel or knife is quickly divided into delenki, each of which must contain at least 3-8 fans.
For irises, drying of the roots is allowed, but if it was done, it is necessary to soak it until the tissues are completely renewed just before planting. Such a soaking of the roots should take from several hours to several days - depending on the extent of damage and the degree of drying of the root. Siberian iris is a wonderful flower, perfectly suited for use in decorating land. Unpretentiousness to environmental conditions and ease of care make it an excellent candidate for landing on almost any site. Therefore, if you plan to do landscaping - feel free to order yourself the seedlings of this flower.
