Daily details from the garden to bring you inspiration throughout the year
Another item on the long list of Things You’re Supposed To Do In The Garden – deadhead your irises when (or preferably before) they’ve gone to seed. Particularly the case with those that seed about prolifically, certainly the two species native to the UK, the yellow flag Iris pseudacorus and the stinking Iris foetidissima, but also the Siberian iris. For me, there are a couple of issues with deadheading the latter plant – invariably I kneel down to snip the dried stems off with my head in the middle of a clump, whereupon my unruly hair causes me to carry about an impressive iris seedbank for the next day or so. And there’s a sculptural quality to the dried seedheads, both on their own but also in company with this season’s vibrant new flowers, the arrangement of whose deeply-coloured standard petals and intricately painted falls mirrors both the form and the movement of their predecessors. And so, I might just (accidentally, you understand) neglect to finish the deadheading. Another black mark against my name in the Ledger of Immaculate Gardening. Another deposit in the Bank of Joyful Moments.
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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, writer, photographer, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking this image.