Has anyone ever tried planting clumps of Siberian Iris interspaced with lily bulbs? I was thinking that this would allow for two completely different bloom times but just can not quite picture the combo in my mind. Of course, when the Sibs were blooming the lilies would be partially grown stalks and when the lillies bloomed, the Sibs would be just folliage.
Its just that I know certain combos look good because I have done them in my garden. For instance, roses and lillies look great together. Lillies and daylilies look great together. I figgure Sibs and daylilies look great together too, although I have not done it yet. But I just don't know about the Sibs and lily combo. What do you think?
I have ordered 28 new Siberian Iris mail order this spring. So I need to make up my mind about were I am going to plant them.
Lillies look good with Siberian Iris?
I have Sibs and Lilies in mixed perennial beds, along with daylily, peony, yarrow, flax, columbine, lambs ear, clematis and what ever else I can fit in there. The Sibs and Lilies look fine together, however, you need to be careful that as the Sibs grows that they don't shade out the lilies. I'm going to have to thin my Siberian Iris this year. I really like Flax (both blue and white) in the gardens and Coral-bells. The airyness (is that a word?) of them gives a fullness to the garden. And California poppies and Oriental poppies... Oh heck, I like them all together! ;)
What do you mean, shade out the lilies? Aren't the lilies taller than the Siberian Iris?
I don't have much in the way of mixed perrenial beds. I tend to buy plants that I am obsessed with over and over and then there is not much room left. The terraces garden is the closest I have to a mixed bed. But I do small garden sections and then something else in the next section. Difficult to explain but it works for me.
As the Siberians get bigger and fuller they will fill out quicker in the spring than the lilies and thus can shade out the lilies coming up. This doesn't happen for the first few years, it's just as the Sibs grow bigger and the lilies spread they tend to encroach upon each other. Of course, if you dig and divide stuff on a regular basis it can help with this problem. I just like the packed look, that way it can also shade out weeds a bit.
Ok, got it.