I live in Northern Michigan, and enjoy both of these plants in my pond. On the few occasions when I ended up with an abundance, I add them to my compost pile. They decompose quickly, and add nitrogen to my compost!
That's a good use for plant debris. I bet it's cold in Northern Michigan in winter. My son went to college in Wisconsin, where they called the cold in winter "Tourette's Cold" because when you went outside, you would start yelling curse words!🙂
Siberian iris, as well as variegated Japanese Iris does well. There is a white iris called snowdrift, and a pink called rose queen that I've seen that does very well. Honestly, the best way to determine which are good is to try it. Many do well. I'm not sure about the large varieties that grow commonly in your garden, as I have not seen those sold for ponds. Sorry that I can't be more specific, as there are hundreds of different varieties.
Iris are perennials, which means that they will come back each year. In late fall, as the weather gets cold, and the frost hits them, that's a good time to cut them back. Cut all the leaves down as close to the pot as you can. Removing all this helps keep the pond cleaner by not having all the dead dying debris rot in the pond. I usually leave the pots on the shelf for the winter, but you can put the pots down in deeper water. Just remember to bring them back up to the shelf in early spring before they start growing again. Once the weather starts warming up in spring, they should start growing again.
I live in Northern Michigan, and enjoy both of these plants in my pond. On the few occasions when I ended up with an abundance, I add them to my compost pile. They decompose quickly, and add nitrogen to my compost!
That's a good use for plant debris. I bet it's cold in Northern Michigan in winter. My son went to college in Wisconsin, where they called the cold in winter "Tourette's Cold" because when you went outside, you would start yelling curse words!🙂
Do you know if these plants will grow in the tropics?
I believe that most are grown into climate zone 9. The need some time in a dormant period when the weather is a bit colder.
You mentioned that some varieties do well and some don't. Can you tell us which varieties are in each category besides Sweet flag and Pseudocoris?
Siberian iris, as well as variegated Japanese Iris does well. There is a white iris called snowdrift, and a pink called rose queen that I've seen that does very well. Honestly, the best way to determine which are good is to try it. Many do well. I'm not sure about the large varieties that grow commonly in your garden, as I have not seen those sold for ponds. Sorry that I can't be more specific, as there are hundreds of different varieties.
Hi! Any advice on how to keep these over the winter?
Iris are perennials, which means that they will come back each year. In late fall, as the weather gets cold, and the frost hits them, that's a good time to cut them back. Cut all the leaves down as close to the pot as you can. Removing all this helps keep the pond cleaner by not having all the dead dying debris rot in the pond. I usually leave the pots on the shelf for the winter, but you can put the pots down in deeper water. Just remember to bring them back up to the shelf in early spring before they start growing again. Once the weather starts warming up in spring, they should start growing again.
Your chair looks like a terracotta planter and every frame it looks like the plants are in the pot 😂
That's a great observation! 🙂 I can't say that I planned that....