This plant deserves a full article all of its own. There are three species of Iris that are considered to be true aquatic plants for growing all year round within the shallows of your pond and i believe it to be unthinkable to have a collection of Marginals without having at least one of these beautiful plants growing within your pond. An important variety for your ordinary garden pond is Iris Ieavigata (Japanese Water Iris). The 3 petalled blooms are somewhere in the area of about 5 inches across and they are borne on 2 ft. high stems. The first flowers normally begin to open in June and are clear blue in colour with a yellow line down the middle of every petal. A second flush of blooms may appear in September depending on the climate that you live in.
You can find a number of varieties which you can select from 'Snowdrift' (white with 6 petals), 'Dorothy' (blue with a white line down the centre of each petal), 'Variegata' (blue, leaves variegated yellow and green) as well as the hybrid I. 'Rose Queen' (rose-pink).
The planting depth for I. laevigata and its varieties is 0 - 3 inches. I.pseudacorus (Yellow Flag or Yellow Water Iris) is more vigorous and taller than I. Iaevigata. The foliage is 3 - 4ft. lond and the yellow flowers are on stems which can reach as high as 3 ft. The species is simply too course for ordinary garden ponds but the variety 'Variegata' (2 - 2.5 ft. high) with its more restrained growth habit and cream leaves edged with green makes it an excellent choice. Other varieties include 'Sulphur Queen' and 'Bastardii'. The planting depth for I. pseudacorus and its varieties is 2 - 4 inches.
The third aquatic species is I. versicolor (American Blue Flag). This is mostly a restrained plant for the smaller pond. Its leaves are 2 ft. long and the flower stalks are 1.5 - 2 ft. in hight. The violet blue flowers begin to appear in June or July and they have narrow petals blotched with gold on the base. The favored variety is 'Kermesina' with claret red flowers flecked with white. The planting depth for I. versicolor and its varieties is 2 - 4 inches.
Propagation: To propagate the individual plants, all you want to do is divide the clumps as soon as the flowering has finished and your plants will thrive.
That virtually covers all that I want to say about this beautiful plant. I do hope that I have not gone on too long about the Iris, but I do feel strongly them. From an individual viewpoint, if you haven't got an Iris or two growing in the pond then you really need to add them. You certainly won't regret it. The vibrant colours and sizes of these plants will amaze you along with any visitors that you may have. I could have made this article a lot longer but I don't want the readers to get bored. Just give the Iris a chance.
Author Resource:-
A lot of my time is spent in my garden. I have been looking for help regarding how to develop the perfect pond habitat for those fish which I will stock it with without much luck. To obtain the assistance I will need I have decided to use a company called Landscape Gardener London. Up to now they have given me all the help and advice that I have asked for, as and when I ask them for it.
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