Our Littler Iris Beauties
Many people are familiar with the Tall Bearded iris which may be viewed on our "Iris Sampler" page.
What many people don't know is that iris come in all sizes and shapes from less than 8 inches high to over 40 inches high.
Illustrated on this page are what is commonly known as "median" iris which includes all bearded iris other than the Tall Bearded variety.
SDB stands for Standard Dwarf Bearded. These iris range in height from 8" to 18."
BB means Border Bearded. Their height varies from 16" to 27".
IB is the abbreviation for Intermediate Bearded. Their height is the same as the BBs -- the difference is in the flower size.
MTB stands for Miniature Tall Bearded. They grow from 16" to 27" high. These iris have all the same characteristics of the Tall Bearded iris -- in a miniature form.
Another small variety is the Miniature Dwarf Bearded iris (not pictured) -- it's highest height is 8".
The wonderful thing about having a variety of bearded iris in your garden is that the peak bloom season is different for each, which gives you iris blooms for an extended period of time -- in some cases up to 12 weeks. The rule of thumb is -- the shorter the iris, the earlier it blooms.
