Iris unguicularis ‘Mary Bernard’ is looking quite lovely in the garden today. We like to snip back the foliage in early March, so we can really enjoy the sweetly fragrant flowers! We’re offering five distinct selections of winter iris this year. Winter hardy through Zone 6.
I’m so glad you mentioned that you snip back the foliage this time of year. I was just looking at my Iris unguilarica that I bought from you a few years ago, and the more exposed part of the foliage is not looking too great. Either a bit bleached by the sun or burnt from the extreme cold we had last month. So, do you just give it a total haircut, and how low?
We cut the foliage back to about 3″ tall.
Where did SHE come from?? She wasn’t in the catalogue the last time I looked!! And now that she is, may I please ask which photograph is more true to her color? Here she looks lavender, not much darker than the photo of ‘Francis (Frances?? It’s spelled both ways in the listing!) Wormsley’ and in the online pic she looks blue-violet but is described as “dark purple!”
And how many would one need to get a good start on a clump? She’s very intriguing, and I like her height.
The flower fades a bit on the second day…this is a second day flower. One clump will make a 1′ wide patch in 3-4 years in good soil. She’s really beautiful.