Bearded Irises with Bob and Ann of Trail's End Iris Gardens

Bearded irises (Iris germanica) are some of Clara's favorite blooms.  But are they really a decent cut flower? According to Dole et. al. 2017 , likely not for large scale production, but for the smaller grower looking for some blooms that add total WOW factor in the early summer, especially for weddings, these do belong in your perennial collection.  The new varieties with lots of branching and many "sockets" provide a good week's worth of flowering in a vase, and they are hardy up here on the northern prairies to boot!   This week we had the great pleasure to have an in depth chat with Bob and Ann of Trails End Iris Gardens in Ontario, about the in's and out's of the beautiful bearded iris.  We talk about types, the long season of bloom possible if you mix and match types, how to grow them successfully, as well as some of their recommendations for cuts.  Bob and Ann's passion for, and knowledge of, these amazing flowers is evident and will no doubt have you out looking for a few (or many) new bearded irises for your garden.  Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum and audio editing was completed by the uber talented Laura Eccleston.