by Lydia Holley April 7, 2025
Spring brings an abundance of joy to the gardener and blooms to the garden. In my garden, I take note of each bulb as they appear. Grape hyacinths, daffodils, white cemetery irises, then Dutch irises. You might think that Dutch irises are native to Holland. Not so. The Dutch took Spanish irises and hybridized them into what we know now as Dutch irises.
Dutch irises are easy to add to any garden because they come in a rainbow of colors and are very narrow-stemmed, so they can be tucked in almost anywhere. They can be grown in pots or cut and brought inside. As long as your soil drains well and does not have a high pH, they should bloom well for you. They also give permission to the gardener to be a little lazy—like daffodils, their foliage should not be cut back, but allowed to brown.
Dutch irises grow from bulbs so they are easy to scatter around the garden or plant in masses for a different effect. Consider planting some in small containers to bring inside when they start to bloom.
I read that artists paint irises and roses more than any other flower. Is Van Gogh’s famous painting of irises the Dutch kind? Since Van Gogh was Dutch himself, it makes sense they would be. But they look more like bearded irises to me. However, I am not trained as an artist, so you decide. Some of Monet’s paintings, however, look to me to be of Dutch irises. So if you have aspirations of having a miniature Giverny, you may wish to plant an abundance of Dutch irises.
To give you an idea of what can be planted as companion plants, I walked around my garden to see what was blooming. Roses and pink oxalis. Forsythia and azaleas. Penstemon and creeping phlox. Violets—if you dare have them in your garden. Ajuga if you have nearby shade. Crossvine if you need something to cover a wall or fence. Of course, evergreens are always appropriate if none of those appeal to you or if you prefer Dutch irises’ simple shape and colorful beauty commanding the center of attention.
For more information, call 903-675-6130, email [email protected], or visit txmg.org/hendersonmg.