Median – All bearded iris classes (SDBs, IBs, BBs, and MTBs) shorter than 27.5"
MDB – miniature dwarf bearded, to 8" tall, the first bearded to bloom in earliest spring
SDB – standard dwarf bearded, 8 - 16" tall, blooms in early spring
IB – intermediate bearded, 16 - 27.5" tall, blooms after SDB’s and before TB’s
MTB – miniature tall bearded, 16 – 27.5 tall, the flower is no more than 6" combined width + height, blooms with the TB’s
BB – border bearded, 16 – 27.5" tall, blooms with the TB’s
The Medians are very useful for extending the bloom season of the irises in your garden. Here the SDBs start in late March and the IBs will bloom in April and May. There are quite a few very nice rebloomers in the median category. In the fall it is fun to see the SDB, IB and TBs blooming at one time.
The SDB's do need a little cold in the winter in order to bloom well. Most of them are very rapid growers here, making nice clumps very quickly.
