Why Were My Irises So Puny?

[catjac1975]

I divided my irises last fall, and I thought they'd do well this Spring, but I have had very few blossoms, compared to past years. Only one set of white irises did well. What do you suppose went wrong? The foliage was puny, and the blossoms (what few I had) were puny (except for the whites, which I did NOT divide. The nearby blues, which I also did NOT divide, didn't bloom at all, and they are usually my loveliest irises. So very strange.

Recovering from splitting. Fertilize for next year.

 

[digitS']

I have Black, White and a rather odd blue -- with "brown" undertones . I thought the blue iris was really special when it first bloomed - so unusual! However, the newness wore off ...

All of my yard has quite a lot of shade. The two locations for the blue are really shaded and the dang things bloom and fall down. I think its the "weirdness" of the color that makes me want to dispatch the blues but that weakness to the stems is absolutely not a plus.

The Black are doing well this year. A nearby tree has been taken out. It was on the northside but the roots were likely to have interfered with the iris.

The Whites are in too much shade and I'm hoping that they don't begin to fall now that they are in full bloom. I really should get the Black and White together in both their locations, altho that hasn't been my "color scheme" for the yard. My color scheme = color runs riot!

I've been admiring black & white houses, lately. Black & white home interiors look real pretty to me. I also like that wood table and counter tops seem to be coming back in style. I hate the idea of replacing my wood paneling in nearly half the house and would actually like to have wood cabinets replacing the painted ones in the kitchen ...

Steve, olde fogey

 

[Nyboy]

I think @canesisters has magic ones that change color.

 

[ducks4you]

I also read that you should dig a hole 5 inches deep to help them with their roots. COULD be that you hard compressed soil below them. I have dug out a LOT of my iris this year and they do have signifigant roots for a top of the soil tuber. I replanted in an amended bed. I gave my Vet about a dozen of them and used my hand to dig them up.

 

[Nyboy]

I have a large patch of iris that was there when I bought my house. I had a large digging machine come in and dig out my stream. Large piles of clay where dumped on iris. Then the summer sun baked the clay, harding it almost to cement. I did not think the iris had a chance, but next spring they came back.

 

[catjac1975]

I also read that you should dig a hole 5 inches deep to help them with their roots. COULD be that you hard compressed soil below them. I have dug out a LOT of my iris this year and they do have signifigant roots for a top of the soil tuber. I replanted in an amended bed. I gave my Vet about a dozen of them and used my hand to dig them up.

My iris are practically on top of the soil.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

^^^so are all of mine! and they bloom!

 

[lcertuche]

Irises are much like onions in that they do better if they are barely in the dirt. I used to give mine a twice a year feeding. Once early spring and again in late summer.

Mine wasn't doing anything for a couple of years and Mama told me they were planted too deep and quit mowing them down, lol. I loosened up the dirt around them so just the roots were buried and quit mowing. I think fertilizer really helps. Every couple of years I would divide the large clumps. Now I moved away from all Daddy's beautiful Irises and I sure miss them. Maybe I will start a pot of them.

 

[ducks4you]

Iris are planted so that you SEE 1/2 of them above ground, but their roots can go 5-6 inches deep, as evidenced by the 20 black iris I pulled from the poison ivy patch in April.

 

[GardenGeisha]

Thanks for all the good tips, everyone.