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This is prime iris season: a few weeks when these hugely flamboyant flowers come into their own. I grow two different sorts of iris in my garden: the Siberian iris and the bearded iris. Siberian irises are smaller flowered, have thinner leaves

A fungal disease weakens the plant and can seriously reduce its flowering performance. The brown spots eventually grow together and develop grey centres. Infection is caused by air or water-borne spores entering the plant through damaged leaves

on growing bulbsPlanting summer bulbs in a container.Growing agapanthus from bulbs.Creating a colourful container display of daffodils.Planting iris bulbs.

Follow Rachel de Thame's video advice on planting irises, with tips on drainage, positioning and when to divide them.summerMore advice on growing irisesDividing irisesCreating an iris container displayDealing with iris leaf spotLayering bulbs in a

When we think of irises our minds tend to wander towards May and great swathes of big, brassy flowers over sharp-sided, sword-shaped leaves. Either that or drifts of yellow flag iris on the sides of pools and streams. We tend to ignore February. Big

in for a closer look. Glorious!Don't be put off by their common name of stinking iris or stinking gladwyn. They really don't smell unless you crush their leaves, but I can't say I've ever noticed anything unpleasant. Iris foetidissima is a strong growing

Irises can become congested over time, which tends to inhibit flowering. This can be remedied by lifting and dividing their rhizomes to give them a little more space. Wait until flowering is over before dividing the iris clump, discarding any old

1) A plant or shrub pruned and trained to grow into a tree-like form, with one trunk or stem that's 3-6ft long before branches appear. The practice is entirely aesthetic, and often used for roses. See Half standard.2) The erect petals of the iris

flowerheads in summer. It will perform equally well in a sunny border or a container.Jarava ichuThis easy-to-grow bearded iris, with butter yellow and lavender petals, will flower from late-May to mid-June.Iris 'Lullaby of Spring'This short, smoky yellow iris

that will flower at different times.Deep potCompostLarge-flowered daffodilsTulipsDwarf bulbs, such as crocus or irisSeptember - October45 minutesMarch - AprilFill the base of the pot with compost and plant a layer of large-flowered daffodils on top. Cover with a