Growing Irises and Daylilies

Growing Irises and Daylilies

I truly believe a garden just isn’t a garden without irises and daylilies. I grow both and use their blooms in beautiful arrangements for my clients. Irises such as Immortality and daylilies like Little Business are inspirational and add elegance and majesty to bouquets.

Growing Irises and Daylilies blog 3

As a flower farmer, you want to offer your clients spectacular cut flowers. Just imagine how much more you could do with irises harvested from K. van Bourgondien’s Blue & White Dutch Iris Blend (shown below).

Blue & White Dutch Iris Blend

To ensure your irises enjoy a good vase life, always follow these harvesting tips.

  • Harvest early in the day and only when an inch of color shows through on the bud. If you harvest before you see an inch of color, the iris may not fully open.
  • When harvesting, use a floral knife. It creates a clean cut that allows the stem to drink up water. Other tools may pinch the stem, preventing water uptake.
  • To prolong blooming, add a preservative to the water and place your freshly cut irises in a cooler.
  • Recut the stems daily.

I know this sounds like a lot of extra work, well beyond the maintenance of other flowers you grow, but it’s worth it. As seen in the photo below, irises help bouquets and other floral arrangements make commanding statements, providing stunning focal points or intriguing details.

Irises and Daylilies blog 1

Irises are actually low-maintenance plants on flower farms that have the space for these year-round perennials. You can plant irises throughout your garden or designate separate rows for these beauties. Just be sure the plot has well-draining soil.

Come each fall, trim the foliage back to about 12 inches tall, cutting in a fan shape while you work. This ensures healthy plants for the following year and adds interest to your garden as you head into winter.

Now I want to turn to one of my favorite flowers—the faithful daylily.

Daylilies aren’t often grown by flower farmers. They have a reputation for being hard to manage and short-lived in flower arrangements. But I don’t let that stop me from growing them on my farm and offering them in the floral designs I create.

Daylilies come in a variety of colors as seen in the photo below of K. van Bourgondien’s Select Daylily Mixture. And I love the majestic appearance they add to bouquets.

Daylilies

In the field, daylilies are low-maintenance plants, and they come back year after year. Some varieties are rebloomers. It’s true that each bloom lasts only one day. But keep in mind that each stem usually has multiple buds that will provide days of blooms in a bouquet. Just cut during the bud stage, harvesting the stems early in the day, and watch a graceful design take shape. The photo below shows an example of a single stem flourishing with buds. An impressive sight, don’t you agree?

Irises and Daylilies blog 2

I hope I’ve encouraged you to grow irises and daylilies on your flower farm.

Happy Gardening!

Pamela Anthony

Beehind Thyme Farm & Garden