Welchs Reward Iris, a Miniture Tall Bearded Yellow Iris

About The Welchs Reward, A Yellow Iris

The Welchs Reward is an iris that I never planted. I first noticed the tiny thin iris leaves poking through the landscaping fabric last spring and thought nothing of it. Interestly, the garden peninsula soil came from an area of the original flower garden as well as the dirt from digging out our larger pond. I did notice that the original garden had some iris plants, but before I knew it, the soil was dug out and dumped to create the garden peninsula.

By pure luck and 3 years later, the rhizomes actually made their way to the soil's surface and poked through the landscaping fabric. Not only do I have one double stalk plant, but I noticed another growing a few feet away. What a wonderful surprise!

The Welchs Reward Iris was introducred in 1988 by W. Welch and has (as you can see in the iamge above) yellow standards with bright red/purple veining extending downward on the falls and a 1/8" yellow edge.

Below is some information regarding the structure of the plant:

Falls

The three level downward curving lower petals (sepals) of the flower

Haft

The upper part of the falls that connects to the rest of the flower. The Haft shoulders next to the beards.

Standards

Three upward arching petals of the flower.

How To Grow the Welchs Reward Iris

This fleshy bulb-like rhizome likes to grow just below the soil's surface in a well drained, sun location. Planting too deep can cause fewer blooms. When planting, check for damaged or dry/dead roots. Spread out the roots carefully, just below the ground level. Cover with soil and tap down gently.

At this point you can fertilize with a fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus and potassium like a 5-10-10 solution. Do not use fresh manure, as fresh can cause soft root rot, which if you have never experienced, can be a 'mushy, stinky' deal. Use a well-aged manure. Also, the bearded iris prefers an alkaline soil while the beardless enjoys a more acidic soil.

As mentioned above the iris can suffer from root rot and another pest can be the iris borer - this can be serious as once the borer is within the stalk, it proceeds to eat the inside pulp substance eventually rendering the stalk limp and dead. What can you do to prevent this? As with many other insect borers, a gardener has to be diligent on checking their plants that are prone to such a pest. I check my iris's as well as my golden elders on a regualr basis.

Once the stalk has gone limp and fallen over, cut off the stem and slit the stalk to find the borer. This lets you know that it hasn't moved to another stalk. A borer over winters in the soil, crawls up the stem/stalk and bores a hole. The hole is very easy to recoginze and even if the stalk hasn't gone limp, if there is a hole, you've got a borer and it just a matter of time before it eats the entire inside.

I always have pity on my plants and even though I might have a hole and the stalk/stem is not limp, I cut off the stem to prevent the borer from moving any further. Naturally, disgard the diseased stalk/stem.

While there are re-blooming iris's, the Welchs Reward Iris is not one of them. Once the blooms are spent, they are easy to snap off. This allows the plant to spend its energy on growing instead of going to seed. Iris's bloom best if planted in full sun, however it will tolerate some light shade. Too much shade decreases the number of blooms. Also, it is best not to over feed your iris's and remember to divide every 3 to 5 years. These tips will give you plenty of flowers for many years.

Welchs Reward Iris Features

• grows 22" tall
• flower spikes have 2 branches producing several flowers
• flowers stay open for 3 days
• blooms mid to end of June
• yellow arching petals with red/purple veining on the falls
• plant in full sun for best blooming
• divide every 3-5 years to keep plant healthy
• watch for iris borer and soft rot
• remove yellowing leaves

Since I did not plant this iris, I can say that it is growing proudly among my Virgina Creeper Vine, False Spirea, Pavement Roses, Peonies and Astilbes.

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