Carolina Iris

Iris reticulata Carolina carries flowers of classic iris blue that burst up through a veil of fresh February snow (that is when we get snow). This is a winter beauty whose size belies her impact. Carolina Irises are stunning at just the time when gardens can look a bit grey but combine her with aconites (best planted in February/March) and crocuses and things change. Her petals start sky blue at the centre, the 'falls' ending up a deep, velvety near-midnight shade, a vivid splash of yellow on white running down the centre. The end result is a little like Van Gogh's Starry Night in flower form - one of our truly beautiful rockery bulbs for sale.

Iris reticulata love sunshine

Choose a really sunny spot for Carolina irises, in an alpine bed, a rockery or at the front of a flower border – remember dwarf irises hail from the bright, stony mountainsides of Russia, Turkey and the Middle East. She'll thrive in pots, too, placed somewhere you can admire her as she struts her stuff – near a kitchen window, or on the doorstep to welcome you home. In pots or borders, Iris Carolina looks great alongside grasses such as Festuca glauca or combined with other early-spring bulbs such as snowdrops or winter aconites. Or you can weave drifts of Carolina irises through deeper blue Iris reticulata Harmony. Like all dwarf irises, it's best to give Carolina a little space when planting, so you can fully appreciate the shape and form of those remarkable petals; plant good, bold drifts by all means –but don't pack the bulbs in too tightly.

Features

Colour: pale sky blue with deep blue tips and a yellow splash
Height: 10-15cm
Scent: none
Flowering: January-March
Bulb Size: 5-6cm
Planting Depth: 2 to 3 times the height of the bulb
Planting Months: late September - early November

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If you like, you can 'force' Iris reticulata Carolina for indoor flowers. Plant in October or November in pots of well-drained compost mixed with some horticultural grit, then keep them in a cool, dark place for around 8 weeks, before bringing them out, when the shoots are 5cm tall, to a spot that gets about 4 hours' sunlight a day. Then just aim to keep them cool, so that the flowers last as long as possible.

Carolina Reticulated Iris love a sunny spot. Remember they are in flower when most trees and shrubs are leafless and the winter sun is low in the sky, so you can plant them in areas that become shady only in late spring and summer.

They need good drainage so well-drained, open soil makes them happy and you'll need to add plenty of horticultural grit and/or garden sand if your soil is heavy. They do well in neutral to alkaline soils. Plant the bulbs about twice as deep as they are tall and 10cm apart. Finish off with a layer of sharp grit to discourage snails and other pests.

Reticulated iris are best planted in early autumn - September to October; the relatively warm soil encourages them to root well. They don't need to be dug up after flowering; just leave them to multiply. Divide and replant when congested.

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Delivery: The basic delivery charge for orders of bareroot plants is £6.50 + vat, which increases to £12.55 + vat if you add any pot-grown plants, standard trees or fruit trees to the order.
Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
We will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.

*Surcharges to the Highlands and Islands still apply.

Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.

Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Misc	Wildlife Value
Area	Coastal Areas, Exposed Windy Areas, Frost Pockets, Scotland & The North
Colour	Blue, Deep, Blue, Pale
Flowering	Jan, Feb, Mar

	NUMBER OF PACKS Inc. VAT
SIZES	1	2-3	4+
Pack of 50	Plenty of Stock£6.72	Plenty of Stock£5.94	Plenty of Stock£5.46

Carolina Rockery Iris

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Carolina Iris

Iris reticulata love sunshine

Features

Inside story