DU Gardeners, I have a question

[Catch22Dem]

My iris' have come and gone for the year. I usually don't do anything at all with them and they come back next year, but someone told me I'm supposed to dig them up every year. I trust you guys more, so what am I supposed to do w/ my iris'?

[babylonsister]

1. If they reappear, leave them alone.

I think you're supposed to dig them up only if you live in a climate where the ground can freeze for weeks.

[Catch22Dem]

6. Ah-ha, ok, that sounds good.

I don't think I need to worry about weeks of freezing here in Oklahoma. We do freeze, but I don't think the ground freezes for any period of time.

[stellanoir]

2. No need to dig them up every year at all.

As a matter of fact, disrupting their roots would reduce blooms considerably. You may want to separate them and thin them out every 3-5 years though.

Towards mid August or whenever the leaves start go brown cut them back at an angle to about 4 inches, it should create a fan like effect, and helps them in their dormancy.

[Catch22Dem]

4. Wow, ok thanks!

I didn't know that.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

3. You don't have to dig them up every year.

You do want to leave the irises alone and let the leaves store up food for next years blooms. The dying leaves and stems are not lovely to look at but it is necessary. If you are so inclined you can gather up the leaves of each bulb and roll them down and tie them with twine or something to just get them out of the way. They can be cut back in late summer or fall.

You will eventually will want to thin out the flowers out by digging up some of the bulbs. My grandmother had beautiful iris every year. (She had every color, size, etc. known to any garden catalog.) The fall after she died several in the family decided to go get some of her bulbs - a way to remember her every Spring. We dug up literally thousands - from a space that could be no more than 4 feet by 25 feet. Everyone in the family got boxes and boxes of bulbs to start at their home. There were still plenty left and each year those bulbs are beautiful.

Besides family and friends starting their own flower beds with the bulbs we still ended up with a couple of huge boxes of bulbs we couldn't give away. My sister took them and dumped then along side the lane leading back to her mother-in-law's house. No fancy planting, digging, nothing. Just got rid of them. Those flowers along side that little country lane is breath taking each May - and it has been 10 years. Irises aren't too finicky, they bloom where they are planted. Guess there is a lesson in life there.

[Catch22Dem]

5. Thanks

I might try rolling the leaves down so they don't detract from the gladiolus that are getting ready to bloom.

Great story about your grandma. When my grandma died, my grandpa got rid of a large garden she had in the front yard. He just didn't have the time/know-how to take care of it. It was surrounded by these sandstone rocks which now surround my garden. She'd be pleased. :)

[stellanoir]

7. Just don't roll the leaves down too early as

the green foliage is necessary to regenerate the tubers for next year. Your glads will be far taller anyway.

You can deadhead the blooms though.

[Catch22Dem]

8. Thank you again. (n/t)