Introduction of cultivars of bearded irises promising for use in urban landscaping

The article presents the results of an introduction assessment of 91 cultivars of bearded irises in order to develop recommendations for their further use in landscaping at various facilities located within the IV winter hardiness zone according to the USDA. The research was conducted on the basis of the Laboratory of ornamental plants of the N.V. Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the period 2011-2023. The introduction tests were conducted on the basis of accepted approaches and techniques. The selection of promising cultivars for landscaping was carried out according to 9 criteria. The low-growing cultivars of the SDB group, medium-sized cultivars of the IB group, most historical cultivars and some domestic cultivars (regardless of their belonging to one or another garden group) turned out to be the most promising for both private and mass urban gardening. Cultivars from the Aril (AR) and Arilbread (AB) groups, cultivars of the "cosmic direction" with modified beard morphology, as well as cultivars with a repair type of flowering turned out to be unpromising for the IV winter hardiness zone. The work performed is of interest from a practical point of view, as it’s results can be used to expand the range of iris cultivars that are promising for use in landscaping, both urban and private.