Should i mulch irises

Cut all foliage down to 1 to 2 inches after a killing frost in the fall and remove all debris from area. I transplanted a few purple and white irises from my mother's garden. They came up fine, but they came up a very drab brownish color. My mom's were always a beautiful bright white and purple color. Is my soil bad? It is not likely that your soil is bad, and, for the record, iris colors will not change based on soil pH like hydrangeas will. What often happens is that one cultivar is tougher than the others and eventually takes over a bed.

Then the resulting color is all the dominant plants. One solution is to thin out the bed and replace with some of the other colors and they should be fine. This year, our dwarf iris stalks came up curved in all directions. Most of the blooms do not looks healthy.

We just laid down lime. Is it possible that some of the lime sprayed into the iris bed? Thank you! A lady in my church said they only bloom every 4 years. Please advise. So far, they have green stalks, but no blooms yet. I'm in NJ. Once again, our friends at the cooperative extension have an answer: There are several things that can cause this problem. The plants may be too crowded. As the irises grow, the clump begins to crowd itself and must be divided.

Another possibility is that the surrounding landscape trees and shrubs may have grown and begun shading the irises. Fertilization with a fertilizer high in nitrogen will stimulate vegetative non-flowering growth rather than flowers.

Lack of water in late winter and early spring may also prevent proper growth. It may be a good idea to divide and replant your irises. Find a sunny location receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. Prepare the planting site by digging the soil deeply to loosen compacted soil. As you are turning the soil, add amendments such as compost and a phosphate fertilizer. If you use a complete fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, be sure to select one that has a high phosphorus content the second number of three large numbers on the bag.

You can also use superphosphate or colloidal phosphate. If the site chosen is the existing site, remove the iris plants and store them in a shady location until you are ready to replant. A brief comment about my experience dividing irises - be careful, it's not easy! I seriously injured my shoulder and chest.

No, that won't happen to everyone, of course, but some advice to use caution won't hurt, either. Digging them out wasn't too tough, but I attempted to divide them in a few different ways, seeing what worked best: a sharp knife, various trowels, shovel.

It was during that process that I yanked something and the injury didn't really set in until the following day. So I continued on dividing, finally settling on a hand saw - this got through easily and I sure wish I'd started with it! After replanting, the following year I didn't get much growth or blooms - I have Siberian irises. Second year, a little improvement. This is the third year and they seem to be coming along well finally.

Perhaps conditions here didn't encourage a quick regrowth but do be prepared to lose some luster after dividing. However, if you don't divide, eventually you won't get any blooms at all - or just a couple, so it has to be done.

Fortunately, it's years between the necessity to divide! I think auto correct may have changed the the name Orris Root to Oral in this excellent article.

That is the rhizome root of the Florentine iris dried and ground into powder. I have used it as a fixative in potpourri making. My Mom's name was Iris so they are a family tradition which spans several generations of gardeners. If you plant a fair sized pond planter with bare routed flag irises planted in gravel and placed in your pond they will clean the water and reduce the algae bloom in the pond to almost nothing.

I'm not sure how available they are in America, here in Britain they grow wild. The only problem with them is if you have large fish koi etc they will drag the pot around by the roots coming through the holes. Do Iris bloom the first spring after planting in the Fall? Mine didn't bloom and someone said it takes two year. Suddenly, after several years of normal behavior some of our iris have begun to bloom only 2 or 3 inches off the dirt surface.

We live on Southern California. Yes very clear and helpful. But this year my plants though growing fine at first seam to die back well the leaves do, and yet they are flowering very well. The leaves do at times grow to full size but as they grow they begin to turn brown and seam to go brown and die back from the tip down.

A tip for anyone growing iris is to plant in a 1 part compost 2 parts soil and 3 part pea gravel mixed well this gives a great base for iris to grow in and ensures brilliant drainage.. Phillip thank you so much fo the iris planting tip! Now that you say that, my Mother has so really happy irises along her rock road on the edge. They must really like that soil and rock blend. I was wondering if they dont flower do they put the energy they would have used for flowering into more rhizome or leaf production.

I want to stimulate more rhizome production for a year or two. Thank you. Hi Richard, I would go ahead and let them flower if they choose too but do not be discouraged if they are newly planted and do not flower for a year or two.

When I was in college, my roommates couldn't believe that I made up my bed everyday! It's a habit that began when I was 5, and old habits die hard!!! I've put mulch down at all times of year, but for maximum visual value of fresh laid mulch as well as better weed management, I think spring is best so you catch them before they come up.

Be aware that weed killer is poisonous, so I would not advise that you "drench" your soil with it. Also, be aware that if you have a broad expanse of unplanted land, weeds will grow there even with fresh mulch nature abhors a vacuum.

You are better off planting something that is low maintenance and will help choke out any weeds that try to grow, which won't be "no" work but will be "less" work. Things like grasses and ground covers vinca, pachysandra, ivy would be good choices.

Sparaxis 16 years ago. I mulch with pine straw, only in the winter. Related Stories. Before you go making a mountain out of a mulch hill, learn the facts about what your plants and soil really want. There's more to topdressing than shredded wood. Learn about mulch types, costs and design considerations here. How thick should the mulch be? Fall foliage color and crisp mornings, plus mulching beds and planting spring bulbs, make October a gardener's heaven.

Protect your soil from weeds and drought this summer with a living mulch of ground covers. Mulching, seeding, feeding — several small tasks to ensure a winter of activity, and a good spring start. Bask in the blooms and mind your mulch this month; summer means lots to savor and lots to do in the garden. Batik iris in my garden 3. What is the name of this Iris? Purple Iris 5. Moving irises in Mid July in the Midwest 0.

Iris plant Nursery in East texas 0. United States. Various types of organic materials are appropriate as mulch, ranging from the widely available but potentially unsightly dry grass clippings or shredded leaves to shredded or chipped bark and wood materials, pine straw, pecan hulls and others.

Pull mulch back from the base of the irises so that no mulch is located on top of or within a few inches of the plant's crown. Mulch left in contact with the base of the iris can trap moisture against the plant, leaving it vulnerable to rot. Water the mulch thoroughly if it was stored in bags or piles and is hot or if the mulch material selected is a hardwood bark or wood product.