Page 20 - index
P. 20
Remontancy or
Reblooming
By John Moons
emontancy is the tendancy of a plant to
bloom a second time in one season. The frst
blooming period is the more important one.
The fowers will appear at the time that can
Rbe predicted. It may be a bit different from
year to year depending on the winter, the spring weather and whether the plants received
lots of rain or not. For most plants the winter dormancy will set up the plant to bloom.
Reblooming can happen any time after the main blooming period. Reblooming happens
not only in the Iris family. It happens in trees, shrubs and other perennials. I have seen
it in apples and wisterias in August, magnolias in September and syringas in October or
November.
For some plants it looks like they are blooming for many months. Hemerocallis
Stella d’Oro will have the main fower period in June-July but later in the season it will
show a lot of fowers again. They are very reliable for that. Reblooming in trees and
shrubs is not very common but roses and hydrangeas will show it often. In peonies I have
seen it a few times but with only a few fowers.
Reblooming has been an issue in the world of Irises. Molly Price writes about it in
her book, The Iris Book, written in 1966. Mr. Percy Brown worked for many years to
produce rebloomers. There was even a publication called: The Reblooming Iris Reporter.
Reblooming can happen in all groups of Irises but it is most important in the bearded
Irises with the Siberian Irises coming next. There are numerous bearded Irises sold as
rebloomers. The whole reblooming phenomenon sometimes looks like a mystery. We
have had Immortality for seven or eight years and I have seen it rebloom here in Southern
Ontario only twice. The literature indicates that reblooming happens in many modern
varieties in California but it does not happen in cooler climates. In order to make the plant
rebloom a bit of extra care in the form of water and some extra fertilizer will go a long
way. The plant has to be re-activitated after a dormant period in the summer. It is obvious
that some Iris cultivars have the right genes to rebloom. With the right growing and
weather conditions your Iris will rebloom at some time from late summer into November.
The number of fowers will be much smaller than in the main bloom period. The fowers
can be smaller and do not always have the same vibrant colours as in the main fower
period. If the reblooming happens too late in the season the fowers may not open fully
and they can be sensitive to an early night frost.
For commercial Iris growers reblooming is not always a blessing. When a plant is
reblooming it is not dormant and it is harder to ship, unless it is growing in a pot.
18 Canadian Iris Society Newsletter
Reblooming
By John Moons
emontancy is the tendancy of a plant to
bloom a second time in one season. The frst
blooming period is the more important one.
The fowers will appear at the time that can
Rbe predicted. It may be a bit different from
year to year depending on the winter, the spring weather and whether the plants received
lots of rain or not. For most plants the winter dormancy will set up the plant to bloom.
Reblooming can happen any time after the main blooming period. Reblooming happens
not only in the Iris family. It happens in trees, shrubs and other perennials. I have seen
it in apples and wisterias in August, magnolias in September and syringas in October or
November.
For some plants it looks like they are blooming for many months. Hemerocallis
Stella d’Oro will have the main fower period in June-July but later in the season it will
show a lot of fowers again. They are very reliable for that. Reblooming in trees and
shrubs is not very common but roses and hydrangeas will show it often. In peonies I have
seen it a few times but with only a few fowers.
Reblooming has been an issue in the world of Irises. Molly Price writes about it in
her book, The Iris Book, written in 1966. Mr. Percy Brown worked for many years to
produce rebloomers. There was even a publication called: The Reblooming Iris Reporter.
Reblooming can happen in all groups of Irises but it is most important in the bearded
Irises with the Siberian Irises coming next. There are numerous bearded Irises sold as
rebloomers. The whole reblooming phenomenon sometimes looks like a mystery. We
have had Immortality for seven or eight years and I have seen it rebloom here in Southern
Ontario only twice. The literature indicates that reblooming happens in many modern
varieties in California but it does not happen in cooler climates. In order to make the plant
rebloom a bit of extra care in the form of water and some extra fertilizer will go a long
way. The plant has to be re-activitated after a dormant period in the summer. It is obvious
that some Iris cultivars have the right genes to rebloom. With the right growing and
weather conditions your Iris will rebloom at some time from late summer into November.
The number of fowers will be much smaller than in the main bloom period. The fowers
can be smaller and do not always have the same vibrant colours as in the main fower
period. If the reblooming happens too late in the season the fowers may not open fully
and they can be sensitive to an early night frost.
For commercial Iris growers reblooming is not always a blessing. When a plant is
reblooming it is not dormant and it is harder to ship, unless it is growing in a pot.
18 Canadian Iris Society Newsletter
