Dutch Iris Mix Bulbs

Light Needs

Part Sun to Full Sun

(5+ Hours Direct Sun)

Mature Height

18-24 in.

Mature Spread

3-4 in.

Growing Zones

3 to 9

Dutch Iris Mix Bulbs turn the late-spring border into a tall blend of purple, blue, yellow, white, and rust flowers. The elegant flowers have upright standards, arching falls, and often bright yellow markings and rise above narrow, grasslike leaves. The straight 18- to 24-inch flowering stems are best cut for bouquets just as the buds begin showing color. Each pack contains 50 bulbs sized 6-7 cm, giving you enough to fill a cutting bed. 

Iris × hollandica is a bulbous perennial rather than a rhizomatous bearded iris, and it flowers from late spring into early summer as many earlier bulbs are finishing. In well-drained sites, established bulbs can return and increase. The slim habit makes these flowers easy to weave between later-emerging perennials, through mixed borders, or along narrow beds. Deer generally pass over Dutch iris.

Dutch Iris Mix Bulbs Care

Plant Dutch Iris Mix Bulbs in fall once daytime temperatures have cooled, ideally several weeks before the ground freezes so the bulbs can begin rooting before winter. Full sun to partial shade is suitable, with stronger flowering usually developing in six hours of direct light or more. Use loose, well-drained soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH around 6.0 to 7.0, amending dense clay with compost or grit if drainage is slow.

Give the bed a thorough watering immediately after planting, then let normal seasonal rainfall provide most of the moisture until growth resumes. During spring, water when the upper layer of soil starts to dry, keeping the bulbs moderately moist through stem development and flowering. Once the leaves begin losing color after bloom, reduce irrigation so the bulbs spend summer in comparatively dry soil. Apply a balanced or low-nitrogen bulb fertilizer as shoots appear in spring, following label rates.

Remove faded flowers if a tidy appearance is important, but leave the green leaves until they yellow and collapse on their own. For cutting, harvest stems before the flowers are fully open, which gives the arrangement a longer display indoors. A light winter mulch can be useful in colder gardens, then should be pulled back as spring growth begins so emerging foliage is not buried.

Dutch Iris Mix Bulbs Spacing

Space bulbs about 3 to 6 inches apart in beds, grouping 10 or more together for stronger blocks of mixed color. For patio growing, choose a container at least 10 inches deep with open drainage holes and place bulbs about 3 inches apart in fresh potting mix. In climates with repeated winter freeze-thaw cycles, move pots to an unheated sheltered space and keep the mix only lightly moist until growth resumes.

Dutch Iris Mix Bulbs Companion Plants

Yarrow makes a useful landscape partner because it enjoys sun and good drainage, and develops its summer flowers as the Dutch iris season is ending. In larger beds, abelias provide a permanent shrub layer behind the bulbs, providing color through summer. Calibrachoa can share a large patio container, filling the lower portion with summer flowers after the iris stems have been cut back and the foliage begins to decline. 

Simple Plant Spacing Calculator

Planting Shape

Rectangle Circle Known Area

Length (ft)

Width (ft)

Diameter (ft)

Or enter radius below

Radius (ft)

Known Area (sq ft)

Plant Spacing On-Center (in)

Pattern

Square (grid) Triangular (staggered)

Fill edge gaps (max plants)

Enter area to see results.

Visual Preview

Print / Save PDF

Powered by