Q:
I’m curious about the beard on my tall bearded iris. What function does it serve? Can you also recommend some good companion plants?
Elizabeth Melvin, Bellevue, WA
Combine tall bearded irises with pansies and foxgloves for color compatibility and bloom time.
A:
Richard Ernst, president of Cooley's Gardens, an Oregon-based nursery specializing in bearded irises, and vice president of the Tall Bearded Iris Society, responds: The beard on tall bearded irises (Iris spp. and cvs., USDA Hardiness Zones 3–9) is the fuzzy or hairy caterpillar-like appendage on the fall (the lower petal of the flower). It can be found in the same color as the flower petals or in a contrasting color. On the iris, the beard serves no physical function, although it may serve as an attractant to bees to encourage pollination. Many plants have beards, even barley and wheat; yet these days, farmers like to grow beardless varieties of wheat because they’re easier to mechanically harvest.
When looking for companion plants, personal preference is first and foremost. My personal favorites are the pansies (Viola X wittrockiana cvs., Zones 8–11). Look for a series called ‘Faces’, with flowers that look up at you instead of at the ground. Pansies come in many of the same colors as the iris, so there is a nice compatibility between them.
Other good companions are foxgloves (Digitalis spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9), lupines (Lupinus spp. and cvs., Zones 4–8), and columbines (Aquilegia spp. and cvs., Zones 3–8). Just be careful not to let them go to seed, or collect the seed before it falls. These are favorites not only because of their color compatibility but also for their season of bloom. Avoid the tendency to overplant, which creates a cluttered look. Sometimes a simple border of pansies is sufficient.
Of course, you can always use other irises as companions to your tall bearded irises. Try some of the newer intermediates that bloom a few weeks before the tall bearded variety. A few cultivars I like are Iris ‘Lemon Pop’, Iris ‘Baby Blue Marine’, and Iris ‘Pink Bubbles’. They’re smaller but quite hardy. Or you could plant some spuria irises (I. spuria and cvs., Zones 6–9), the most overlooked iris. They are tall, much like Japanese irises (I. japonica and cvs., Zones 7–9), but have upright flowers and bloom later than the tall bearded ones. Japanese irises do not make good companions because they require diferent soil conditions than those of the bearded irises.
