Re-blooming Iris Varieties and Colors

There is nothing quite like a re-bloom of your favorite flower later in the year. A re-blooming iris gives me a chance to enjoy the beauty twice in one season.

If you love growing perennials, you will probably have an iris or two in your garden.

Many iris plants bloom once for the season and then  you have to wait a year to see the pretty flowers again.

Fortunately for iris lovers, there are some varieties that re-bloom again later in the year. Let’s have a look at some of them!

Readers of my blog know that I am a fan of all types of irises.  My mother used to plant them everywhere and I think of her when I see them.

I have many of varieties of them in my garden. But I am always looking for new and unusual colors and styles. 

Types of Re-blooming Iris for a second round of color.

Re-blooming irises give you a second burst of color. There are a few types of them:

Remontants

Re-flowering irises are also called “remontants” are irises that produce two or more flushes of bloom each year.

Cycle re-bloomers

Cycle re-bloomers produce a spring crop of flowers, then lie low during summer,  but surprise you im the fall when they  flower again in the fall.

Repeater irises

Repeaters produce new flowers soon after the first spring flush dies back, extending the bloom season to one to two months.  These are such a delight!

All season re-bloomers

All-season re-bloomers – my favorites,  produce flowers irregularly throughout the season.

Will irises re-bloom in all hardiness zones?

In general, farther north you live, the less reliable is the re-bloom. Gardeners in Zones 3 and 4 may see little or no reblooming. 

Also, if you live in a tropical climate, you may not see a re-bloom, since the reblooming cycle is set off by cooler weather.

And finally, some varieties will not start re-blooming for a couple of years, so patience is a virtue as is always the case with gardening.

When are re-blooming irises planted?

Irises are typically planted in the fall to bloom in the spring, but many companies are sold out by the time fall planting comes, so I order mine early to make sure I have them when it is time to plant.

The online companies are great about shipping when it is planting time in your zone.

Examples of re-blooming irises

Here are some that I want to plant next year. All but one of them are re-blooming varieties.

• Mariposa skies. Another re-blooming variety with a clear divide of blue and white. Love the color!
• Bearded Iris English Charm. Re-blooming variety that is unusual and stunning. Orange falls and white petals.
• Dramatic Bearded Iris Batik – A deep purple variety with white splashes of color.
• Bearded Iris Blue Suede Shoes. This striking re-bloomer produces dark blue ruffled blooms with shining yellow beards.
• Sugar blues Bearded Iris. This one re-blooms for a second burst of color!
• Immortality. A pure white rebloomer that is stark and gorgeous.
• Red Hot Chili (pictured above) Bearded, hardy in zones 4-9.

 

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