Siberian and Japanese Iris seem much better.

They form clumps that look fairly good for the entire season.

The Japanese iris have larger blooms that seem more attractive.

Bearded Iris are harder to grow and do not like mulch.

I prefer a clean shave!

....... i think your question should be more properly phrased -- "why bearded iris in Clinton Michigan"
In many areas, including mine, your beloved siberians and japanese iris perform poorly or are next to impossible to grow. Just remember that there is an iris for every clime and locale, and the adaptability or lack thereof of some classes doesn't negate the worthwhile culture of others

Why bearded iris? Their scent. A scent not found in the beardless iris. I love my LA's and JI's that thrive and the sibs that will struggle here compared to the huge clumps they make at my brother's home in Illinois. But there is a beauty in the iris with their fuzzy beards and their sweet spicy scent catching the breeze. They come in infinite colors and sizes, forms simple to super ruffled laced and complex. JI's have a regal beauty of form but you can't get a red JI, nor an orange. Nor do they have multi color blended falls. For those I look to the bearded iris because I like blended falls. Especially ones with a great scent. Variety is available in the iris world and I am glad of it.

why not bearded iris

Yes, can't grow JIs well here! I would be tormenting the poor plant!!! I have a pond that hasn't been filled for years though! If I fill it ever, maybe then I will plant a few around the pond.

My phone cut off my comment do the full comment is now above.

I have a 30 ft row of Siberians that i tend to diligently and it has some of the Schafer-Sachs newer varieties as well as others. In my alkaline soil i had to dig down 12-+ inches, heavily amend the soil with a acid planting compost, and have 2 irrigation lines that run once a week, if not more. Some varieties do quite well, others last 2-3 years then dwindle down to nothing.

Japanese iris are possible only in barrels or very small enclosed water features, both our climate/soils and water are far outside of their cultural preferences. I cannot water them with my hose since my water is well water from deep volcanic strata and alkaline and hard by nature. I can only water with distilled water. My soft water from my indoor plumbing has too much sodium in it, and heavily damages the plant over time.

My spuria collection is small but will be increasing since this class IS adaptable to my regions climactic characteristics. I would absolutely love to grow CA iris but in my semi arid clime it is an utter impossibility. even in pots filled with rhody/azalea potting mix. Ive tried and failed multiple times. My Iris ochraleuca, a spuria relative is a nice clump of white and gold in late spring/early summer. I enjoy it very much.

Cal-sibes and pseudata are also difficult for me, but in selected spots around my house where there's afternoon shade, and carefully controlled soil amending they'll last a few years then sink into oblivion. Out water's too hard and alkaline and our winters are too variable and chaotic for them to last.

I could indict the whole class of beardless iris as inferior and not worthwhile based on my difficulty with culturing them, but instead, i'll adapt by finding out which cultivars/classes DO work in my area and then grow and enjoy them.

Lestv said:My phone cut off my comment do the full comment is now above.

sorry my bad -- didn't mean to counter argue

Variety is the Spice of Life! I grow most types because I love to have something blooming for a longer season. Locally, very few people grow anything but the bearded. I think they are missing out on a lot of beauty.

I agree. The beardless iris are the orphan children to many in the US. I love how easy LA's are to grow but can't grow arilbred and CA's for anything. In other areas the opposite is true. But I do not find any form of iris inferior to any other. Maybe I just champion the underdog. My love of the underdog medians reflects that too.

I have siberians, bearded iris, and Louisianas. The Louisianas love the area where the neighbor's sump pump outflow drains over onto our property. But I doubt even that would be sufficient moisture for Japanese iris. We have no pond.

i don't know daisy, i live in a much drier area than you, and here are some ji's i grow, in the ground.





'mickey mouse taro' , bromeliads, fuchsias, and cordyline fruticosas, are their neighbors

Daphne ~ Beautiful!

thank you evelyn.

Daphne, those are beautiful! Maybe I should try one in my damp area next to my Loisiana iris! Are some of them more dryness tolerant than others? Here in my state no one ever plants them except at the borders of ponds.

daisy, i don't know which ones are more 'dry' tolerant. i've loved them since forever, and my avatar shows some i grew in the bay area. i was so sad when i learned i could not grow, japanese maples, tree peonies, japanese irises, ume, and bearded irises.

with some trepidations i added a few "no-no's", to my mostly tropical garden (when we moved almost 15 yr. ago.).
initially, i brought my collection of 15 potted japanese maples. they were mostly 6-7 year 2 -3 ' trees. all but 5 have perished. the ones that have hung on, are now about 4' tall that i keep heavily trimmed. they are slowly expiring, as they don't like the area, climate, and water.

i've tried bush and tree peonies here, they hate it. ume might grow, but in my tiny yard i don't really have much room for trees, so another crossed off the list.

however, in 2016, i started ordering bearded irises just to "try" some. i was gifted 10 from a dear friend in santa cruz, and thus began my collection. i started adding a few "others" including si's which did not live past a few months (have given up on them) and the ji's which i grew in pots for the first two years. then, i got braver placed them in the ground, and voila. but, let's just see how long they thrive? so you're on the journey of my saga as well.

Beautiful irises, Daphne.

Sad that you can't grow the Japanese maples.

thank you marilyn. i love those trees in (mostly) two seasons we have in california. we have mild and milder season in san diego. i really miss the beautiful color changes of their leaves in autumn.

Daphne ~ I bet you can grow PCIs well! For now, I'm going to stick with bearded irises, as my summers are hot and dry.

unfortunately, i think, they may take up too much room for what little space i have. from what i gather, their blooms are small, so not enough bang for my buck. especially, since i have such small real estate