I’m Charlie Nardozzi and this is
the Vermont Garden Journal. The Greek Goddess of Rainbows is named after this
plant. Vincent Van Gough and Georgia O’Keefe loved to paint it, and poets Mary
Oliver and Robert Frost wrote about it. What flower is this? The Iris. There
are hundreds of iris species growing around the world. It’s a common symbol in
Western culture and is the flower in the French fleur de lis. While most gardeners are familiar with the
popular German bearded iris, lesser know iris species offer some interesting
variations.
Siberian Iris grow in clumps that are virtually pest free. The Japanese iris
has flowers that look like butterflies floating on the stems and thrives in
moist, acidic soils. And reblooming bearded iris, such as Immortality, offer
iris lovers a second flush of flowers in late summer.
Most iris are easy to grow – just
divide them every three or four years when you notice fewer flowers and the
plants are overcrowded. One threat to bearded Iris is the borer
insect. It tunnels through the leaves
to the roots – called rhizomes – leaving yellow streaks. Cut off and destroy
infected leaves, clean up the foliage in the fall, and remove any rhizomes with
holes in them.
For this week’s tip, pinch off the
first blossoms of your sweet peppers to get a better overall crop. By removing
the first flowers on newly transplanted peppers, the plant will send more
energy into growing a bigger plant that will produce more fruit this summer.
Next week on the Vermont Garden
Journal, I’ll be talking about poison ivy. For now, I’ll be seeing you in the
garden!
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