HORTICULTURAL TIPS OR "HOW TO GROW 'EM"

Bearded Iris are very hardy plants and will grow almost everywhere except South Florida and Hawaii. Planting instructions are included in each order so we will skip that part of the lesson. Just be sure to plant them as soon as you can after receiving them; they hate being left out of the ground and give them room to grow (12-18" apart).

Tall Bearded (TB), Intermediate Bearded (IB), Border Bearded (BB), Standard Dwarf Bearded (SDB) and Miniature Dwarf Bearded (MDB) HATE (and we do mean HATE) wet feet. Plant them in a well drained bed in full sun (at least 6 hours a day), and, after they are established in their home, they need no mulch or regular watering. If you see signs of ROT (soft, mushy rhizomes), scrape the soft part entirely off with a spoon, dust it with COMET cleanser, let it dry, put dirt back and talk nicely to it. Keep the beds clean and free of debris and you will be rewarded year after year with rainbow colors in the Spring.

Reblooming (RE) types do like summer drinks and snacks to allow them to bloom in the late summer or fall so plant them away from the other Iris so you can water and feed them regularly. Beardless iris (Siberians, Japanese and Louisianas) are also water-lovers.

Fertilizer - six weeks before bloom time (crocus are up), you can give them a snack - use any LOW NITROGEN garden fertilizer like 5-10-5 (make sure the first number is very low because that is the Nitrogen level). Top-dress the bed (fancy words for scratching a handful in around each Iris clump), remove any old Iris leaves, tree leaves etc., make sure the top of the rhizome is showing so it gets sun and is less likely to rot and just WAIT!

If you have an established bed of Iris that is green and wonderful but does not bloom profusely, they are probably crowded and need transplanting. Some of these guys grow like weeds and will need to be split every 3-4 years. Others spread more slowly and put their energy into growing beautiful flowers. To divide, dig up the clump, cut the rhizomes apart with a sharp knife, discard any old, holey, mushy parts and replant the rest, giving them room to grow. Planting three in a circle is a good way to establish a new clump.