What Is African iris?
The African iris is a perennial herb that grows from 4- to 9-feet tall. It gets its name because the flower spikes are shaped like a typical iris plant (Iris sp.) with purple, blue, or pink blooms. The flowers are usually white, but sometimes have yellow markings or spots on the petals.
African iris Care & Maintenance:
The first step toward proper African iris care is to plant the rhizome in the fall. In early spring, when the plant begins blooming, cut back on watering because it will stop growing. Then allow it to dry out completely before watering again.
The leaves are shiny and bright green with purple veins running through them. The leaf color will intensify as the weather gets colder, but make sure to remove any that are turning brown or dry.
This is especially important if you live in a warmer climate because it will suffer from summer stress and may die during the hottest parts of the year if not properly taken care of.
The flower spikes should be cut back after blooming to ensure lots of new flowers next season. If you prefer, you can allow them to bloom for several years before cutting them down.
They usually only last one season since they go to seed quickly so propagation by seed is not recommended unless you have a lot of space for growing more plants.
The lush foliage makes for an attractive landscape planting, while the long flowering period attracts butterflies when used in perennial borders.
African iris Light Requirements
African iris needs lots of sun and only thrive in full sun conditions. So it may not be a good idea to plant this perennial in your shadier areas.
With its tall height, the plant will be able to grow in a wide area. Its flowering time lasts from late spring through early summer, so it will add some nice color to your landscape.
It flourishes as an accent in mixed borders or massed with other perennials and bloom continuously for months at a time.
If you are growing the African iris indoors, give it bright window light or supplement with grow lights year-round.
Water Requirements:
Growing the African iris in a flower bed, be sure it has well-drained soil. Watering should only be done when the top 1″ of soil is dry to touch. If potted, water thoroughly then let drain completely before watering again.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements
African iris care should include a temperature range from 55-75 degrees F. (12-24 C.) and a humidity level of 50% during the summer months.
It can tolerate temperatures up to 90 degrees F. (32 C.) but not below 40 degrees F. (4.5 C.). It will perform better if given more shade when growing in areas near concrete, or heated sidewalks and driveways.
Fertilizing Requirements:
The African iris needs a high-phosphorous fertilizer during the growing season to encourage blooming. Any good all-purpose liquid or granular fertilizer will work but one that is higher in phosphorous like Miracle Grow 15-30-15 with micro-nutrients will give them more of an energy boost.
After flowering has slowed down, reduce the fertilizer applications until the end of summer to help encourage new growth for next year’s flowers. If planted in containers, fertilize monthly with water-soluble houseplant food.
Potting and repotting Requirements:
If container-grown, use a plastic or clay pot. For best results, start with a 5 to 10-gallon container because they do not like small spaces.
African iris can also be grown in the ground as long as the soil is well-drained and receives at least 6 hours of sun each day. A mulch around the base will help retain moisture and keep weeds from sprouting up next to it. But make sure any mulch is kept 2″ away from the rhizome since it may cause rot if it gets too close to it.
Hardscape planting Requirements:
If planted in an area where foot traffic will pass by, make sure there is good drainage to prevent them from rotting due to wet soil conditions.
Landscape Enhancement Benefits:
African iris care will result in beautiful flowering plants that are excellent cut flowers and attract butterflies to your yard or garden. If you want to attract hummingbirds, use the red varieties since they love them the most.
If planted in a sunny location, it may grow up to 4′ (122 cm) tall with an equal spread. The plant has pointy leaves and large clusters of blue-violet flowers at its top.
The rhizomes can live for 2 years with each node producing one flower stalk. The plant is very showy but gets too leggy if not pruned back regularly so cutting it back by about 1/3 will keep it from being out of control.
A perennial that starts from a rhizome, the African iris is a large, clump-forming herbaceous plant growing to 0.8-4 m tall, with leaves 2.5-9 cm long and 1.2-3cm wide. The inflorescence is an erect spike up to 15 cm tall of many flowers borne on one side of the stem; each flower has three petals (rarely four) 3–10 cm long and 6–15 mm wide, and three upright sepals 3–7 mm long.
The genus Iris was traditionally considered part of the family Iridaceae or Xanthorrhoeaceae. It now appears to be classified as a member of the family Iridaceae in the tribe Iridaceae.
The leaves of the African iris are astringent to the mouth and have a bitter taste. The roots are used in traditional medicines in eastern Africa for their antimicrobial properties. They may also be useful against some parasitic worms such as Schistosoma mansoni, which causes Schistosomiasis (bilharzia), a disease that afflicts 200 million people worldwide.
In Ethiopia, the bark is taken to treat malaria; in Malawi, it’s used to treat intestinal worms and gastrointestinal pain; in Rwanda, it’s applied topically on skin infections including scabies; while in Tanzania it’s rubbed on insect bites. A decoction of the root is taken orally for blood disorders and internal bleeding, including menstrual bleeding, in Kenya.
African iris Propagation:
Besides being grown from seeds, rhizomes are also used to grow new African iris plants. When the rhizome is taken out of the ground, a section is left in the ground with its roots attached and covered by soil. When reattached to the soil, the rhizomes will form buds that can be used for planting and then eventually flower.
It should be planted during their dormant season between fall and spring but can also be planted year-round.
Before planting, make sure you prepare your area beforehand by removing weeds or debris to make room for them as well as digging up an area about 3 feet wide where they are going to go so it makes it easier for watering later on.
After preparing your space, dig up holes about 12 inches deep making sure there’s plenty of room around each hole not only for themselves but also for the roots to grow.
Water the holes before planting and then fill them up with soil about 3 inches deep on top of the rhizome you will be planting. After filling them, water every few days until they start growing so it’s easier for you to distinguish their leaves from weeds.
Their blooming season is between spring through late summer but can last almost year-long depending on location. To get more flowers, make sure there’s regular watering during this period that doesn’t flood your plant as well as fertilizing it since it will help it grow bigger and bloom better than if left alone without fertilizer or water.
Growing Requirement:
The first step is to dig up the existing plant so you can get the rhizome which is a thick stalk that grows underground. It needs to stay intact since it contains most of the plant’s roots and spots where bulbs will sprout if planted in dirt.
This section needs to be kept dry when storing it indoors. Watering or wetting this area can cause rotting which will kill the entire plant if not corrected immediately. So store it somewhere dry like a garage, shed or another place with clean & dry floors.
After about 3 days, wash off any old soil on the rhizome and let it dry out before replanting. You also need to make sure all the dirt is off since any leftover soil can cause germs or even mold growth on the rhizome which will kill your plant and spread to other plants you have in your house.
After washing it off, let it sit in a cool area for about 7 days so it can start to regrow new roots that will help with growing back into a full-sized plant.
When replanting them, water regularly until they start growing back but avoid overwatering since this can damage their new roots causing them not to grow properly. Regular watering & fertilizer application may help the process go faster as well as giving you more flowers later on down the road.
African iris Varieties:
There is several types of Iris that come from Africa but the most common ones are ‘African Masked’, ‘Star of Africa’ and ‘Fireworks’. After a while, they will start to grow back into full-sized plants which might not look too pretty at first since their leaves are small, thin & fragile.
Once they’re big enough you can transplant them again which will help it spread out more so eventually it becomes one large area of flowers instead of just a few bunched together.
The older rhizomes don’t flower as often or as well so if you want multiple colors with regular blooming, replant each year using dormant rhizome pieces in late fall-spring when the plant isn’t active.
African iris Problems:
The most common problems can be caused by overwatering, underwatering or improper fertilization. To prevent this make sure you water the roots instead of pouring them on top of the plant since this will only cause leaf drop and rotting due to excess moisture.
This also includes spraying leaves with water so either does so early in the morning when they’re not active or just use a hose to gently wash off their leaves as opposed to soaking them from above.
Also, avoid watering them during hot & sunny weather which can overheat their leaves causing them to die along with making their soil full of algae. You should water your plants as needed but don’t give them daily baths if possible.
