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Iris bucharica, the ‘corn leaf Iris,’ brings fragrance, beauty and forage for pollinators to the early spring garden. It was first collected near the city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan, in the late 19th Century, in the mountains just north of the border with Afghanistan. Bulbs were shipped to the English bulb merchant Van Tubergen, who introduced it into the nursery trade. Some gardeners call these ‘Bukhara Iris’ after their place of origin, high in the mountains of Central Asia.
As with so many small Asian Iris grown from bulbs, the bulbs like cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers. In their native environment, they grow in gravely soil on the slopes of mountains above 5000 feet. These conditions are nearly impossible to provide in coastal Virginia without giving a bit of thought to how and where to plant the bulbs.
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These Iris want excellent drainage, rocky, slightly alkaline soil, and full to partial sun. They are hardy in Zones 5-9. I have planted my bag of bulbs brought home last December from the Heath’s Bulb Shop in Gloucester in several different situations to observe how they perform in each.
I planted some in the ground, under a dogwood tree, covered in some course gravel mulch, one or two in pots in partial shade, and another couple in full sun, directly into the ground around some other bulbs.
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Iris bucharica bloom this week at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden.
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I noticed the first beautiful yellow and white flower blooming in full sun at home on Sunday, in the upper garden near other bulbs. The bulbs planted under gravel mulch in partial shade had buds and leaves but no open flowers. The bulbs planted in pots were showing leaves but not buds.
These Iris are called ‘corn leaf Iris’ because the plant itself resembles a corn plant. The leaves are shiny and soft, growing from opposite sides of the main stalk and resemble corn leaves in their shape and drape.
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Our Iris were in bud on Sunday, and sport three flowers today.
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The first flower opens at the top of the stem, but later flowers emerge from where leaves join the main stem, much likes ears of corn grow from the main cornstalk above a leaf. The stem continues growing and more flowers bloom as the stem gets taller, for a total of around five to seven blooms per plant.
Brent and Becky’s have offered Iris bucharica in their catalog for a number of years, but this is the first year I have given it a try. It is fun to try a few new plants each year, don’t you think?
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Iris bucharica bulbs have fleshy roots, unlike most other Iris bulbs.
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I like the delicate, almost translucent quality of the flower’s standards and falls. Their colors blend so well with the many daffodils blooming now in our garden that my partner hardly noticed these little Iris until I pointed them out. As with most other Iris, deer and rabbits leave these flowers strictly alone.
I’ve read about Iris bucharica offered in shades of purple and blue, but the yellow and white are all I’ve yet seen available. They are very pretty and cheerful on these early spring days when we still have nights a bit below freezing and cold winds blowing all day. The flowers are said to be fragrant, but I’ve not noticed a fragrance. Others, who don’t live with a cat, may be better able to smell subtle fragrances…..
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March 21, 2019. These plants develop very quickly once they wake up for spring.
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I am told that the secret of keeping these Irises going year to year is to make sure their bulbs don’t get waterlogged in heavy, wet soil in summer. Raised beds, rock gardens, or soil that drains well would best suit these Iris. Alternatively, one can wait until their leaves fade in mid-summer and then dig them up and dry them out in a garage for a few months before replanting them when one plants daffodils in autumn.
I am still experimenting with gravel mulch, and have so far experienced great success. I intend to add more gravel to our Forest Garden in the coming weeks, and will make sure that all the areas with the Iris Bucharica have gravel mulch and just leave them be as their leaves die back.
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It’s looking more likely that we’ll add another bag of these unusual Iris to our fall bulb shopping list, and plant a few more around the garden. The bulbs increase, year to year, when they are happy, eventually forming beautiful clumps of early Iris.
Bulbs are usually a great investment, and if sited properly, take care of themselves. Spring ephemerals such as these finish fueling their bulbs for next year and die back, just as you need their garden space for summer perennials.
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These corn leaf Iris came into bloom right as the reticulatas were finishing. I expect the Iris x hollandica to come into bloom, and maybe even some of the German bearded hybrids to begin blooming, as these little yellow corn leaf Iris finish.
If you love Iris, as we do, and want to lengthen your season of enjoyment, these Iris Bucharica are a good choice. Whether you add them to a pot of spring flowering bulbs or find a great spot in one of your own borders or beds, this is an unusual spring bulb that you’ll certainly enjoy growing.
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Woodland Gnome 2019
Forest Garden 