Mary Frances Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Mary Frances')
EYE-riss 'Mary Frances'

Annual

Tall Bearded Iris cultivars are rhizomatous hybrids, mostly derived from Iris germanica and related species, grown for their large, ruffled, three-part flowers in nearly every color imaginable. They thrive in full sun with excellent drainage and resent standing water, which can rot the shallow-planted rhizome. Many modern cultivars rebloom in fall as well as spring.

Pros

  • Huge range of flower colors and patterns across named varieties
  • Drought-tolerant once established; thrives in lean, well-drained soil
  • Generally deer and rabbit resistant
  • Low maintenance once planted correctly

Cons

  • Rhizomes rot in wet or poorly-drained soil
  • Iris borer can tunnel into and destroy rhizomes
  • Needs dividing every few years as clumps crowd and bloom declines
 

Plant Data

Tags Annual, Deciduous
Flower Color
 

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Pricing and Availability History

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!