I've been growing irises for about 15 years something you also might want to mention is dividing them every 3 years it looks like yours are ready for division
Thank you so much! You explained everything in an easy to understand way and there was so much great info!! (And you didn't take an hour to get to the point, etc.😉)❤
Cut just below the lowest flower bud. This keeps more of the water in the plant. Let the plant draw more from the flowering stem to strengthen the root tubers for next year. This is more important for areas that are in more desert like zones.
According to our horticulturist, he says to leave it alone regarding the leaves until they die down in the fall. It’s ok to remove the spent flower and just leave the stalk. It’s not the prettiest way, but I get gorgeous 300 blooms every Spring. Fertilize in Fall and early Spring with 10-10-10..
Good to know. I just moved part of a patch of ivory ones from an abandoned property. I cut the pieces into a short pointed fan shape. Hoping they make it in this heat.
Thank you! We had a glorious spring here in southeastern NC and the iris beds I inherited when I moved here were the most abundantly beautiful they have ever been. I'll never cut them down to the ground because they make a nice bed of greenery all year around even after they bloom. The beds on either side of the front porch steps become a backdrop for summer annuals in front of them. There were so many blooms this year that i've needed to deadhead and cut the stalks back but wanted to make sure I did them right. Thanks again for the instruction!!
Great video. Excellent content. I have always loved the green foliage of any flowering perennial and now with your great tip I can preserve their beauty so much longer. My iris' will be blooming in about a week. Couldn't be more excited!
Perfect timing ! My Iris have finished blooming, normally I let the stalks remain , but the look is not pleasing to the eye, so I shall go out now & clean things up. Thanks for the info.
Thank you for the video. Remember to always use your pruning shears with the blade towards the portion that you are going to retain. If the Anvil is towards the portion you are going to retain it will be a crushing cut which would heal much more slowly and look unattractive in the meantime. This is a general rule of thumb with all pruning
This was very informative for me. THANK YOU.This yr. Has been the BEST for me. Many more blooms and deep radiant golden and yellow colours. Deep dark purples and lilacs. Like never berfoe. 2020 MICHIGAN. THANK YOU JESUS.
I collected iris leaves from the mountains behind where I live. I've plaited them and they support my nasturtiums. I'm thinking of making some shoes out of the plaits, like espadrilles. Thank you for the information.
For iris growing in Colorado, what is your recommendation on trimming the leaves to a height of ~6" either in August or before winter. Thank you for the clear and helpful information on planting and deadheading iris.
Thanks for this, and previous video on planting iris. In both you mention "the hole in the middle" of the planting problem. My solution is to plant three rhizomes in a group, with all growing in the same direction, instead of out from the center. The whole patch may move with time, but you can always split off a few rhizomes from the front and move them to the back of the galloping herd!
Thanks for your video. My wife and I purchased our retirement home and there are 3 flower beds loaded with Iris's. Was not sure how to care for them now that they are done blooming. Thanks for the info. Terry
Thank you for this video. When I moved into my place in the Spring of 2012, a few months after my father passed away, I planted a single Iris plant that I dug up from his yard. Since then it's taken over half the growing area outside my kitchen window, and grows more beautiful each year when it blooms. (As an aside, a few weeks ago while I was out on my patio in the early morning busy taking pictures of them, my kitty decided to escape - for the first time since I adopted her six years ago - because I forgot to close the screen door. Luckily she returned after a half hour, probably because she was ready for breakfast.. :-) Anyhow, now that the iris bed is in need of attention, I thought I'd search for a video showing how to properly do the job. In the past I've always just guessed how to do it. So your video is just what I need to go out there this time with the confidence to do it the right way.
When I first started with irises I cut the stalk after the first flower bloomed. I didn't realize that each stalk will eventually have several flowers on it. Oh the mistakes one makes when learning. :) I hope you get as much enjoyment from your garden as I have in my 70 years. I started as a child...digging weeds out of my dad's beautiful dichondra lawn.
There is “actually a plant health reason” to cut stalks on an angle, as it allows microbes, water, and insects/larvae to run off the angled cut surface rather than dwell there and cause rot or disease.
Thank you much for this great timely info. I'm in Boise, ID and my Irises (IRI?? LOL) are about finished blooming. I m so glad to know the best way to cut, prune and tidy up my favorite garden.
I’ve always been taught to leave the stalks on, Bc the plant actually absorbs the nutrients back into themselves. If you just cut off the dead flowers, you won’t even see the green stalk within the leaves.
My Irises are pretty indestructible. If you can't weed around them, dig them up, remove the weeds, drop them back in. Best time to do it is a month after they finish blooming. This is also when you should spread them. If you are getting a lot of foliage and few blooms, the tubers are crowded. Dig them up, break them apart, spread them out, and replant. I do this every 3-4 years. If you see a withered old tuber, break off the healthy parts to replant and discard the old part... then share the extra with your neighbors. I have shared hundreds over the years, irises from my yard are all over my town now 😀
Since dandelion and thistle are pretty tough weeds, you might want to tackle them when you divide the clump. We usually do that in late July/August in Colorado. You could hand weed for now to keep them under control, being aware they'll come back from the root.
Cutting off the bloom after it is DONE blooming is a good idea for all blooming plants. For an Iris they need to be thinned out once in awhile. But an Iris is very sturdy plant!
Hi Catherine - I tried to maintain the spreading of my bearded irises, but came across the ugly mushy rhizomes (because of borers :( do you have a video on that issue please?! thanks a lot. Hala
Thank you for your very Thorough instructions. The directions were thoughtful and very easy to follow; this is my first year cutting back the irises and you made it very delightful. CAB
Thank you. I have a reblooming iris (Ziggy) that I planted last year in August. It bloomed this year but not well. Perhaps it needs a sunnier spot away from the surrounding perennials. Because it’s considered a rebloomer, should it be moved at a different time than other irises, like after its second bloom? When it the best time to move reblooming irises? 🙏
@Jim Marcum I have not had any luck with germinating the seeds from the pods. I am hoping to get information here about how to go about it the right way, if possible. They will multiply from the tubers just fine. But I was wondering about the seeds and if a different variety would show up from the seeds.
I always cut off any pods since I don't want the iris to spread more than it already is. Once mine bloom in spring (zone 5 Chicago) I try to take all stalks off. I use the tall iris to hide vents and things on the side of my house I don't like the look of
I have quite a few irises and they haven’t bloomed well this year. What am I doing wrong. I noticed that yours are growing in clusters. A lot of mine are singles. What should I do and how deep do you plant them Joey T
I have been doing this treatment for years. Do you have any tips to strengthen the plant. For example fertilizer. I have noticed some of the tubers have died off. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening ?
So I've never done this. I get these body snatcher looking types of growths after the iris as bloomed. I thought these were needed for next years bloom?
When they start turning brown or dying back, I run the mower over mine. They come back even more and I an over run with them, I am going ti dig a lot up and give them away.
Yes, it will grow, the reason it turning brown is maybe it going dormant for the season. Put it in the ground & wait for next season and see it coming. I grew an even worse looking rhizome last year and they all coming back this year, they are very hardy, hard to kill 👌
Not one iris bloomed here .. we have several houses on our horse farm and there has been a few blooms but even in our area, few blooms ! We had a late frost, did not get the apple blooms this year but husband says that is why our iris did not bloom. I didn’t think I have been known of a frost that hurt iris?! ??
What do you do with iris' at the end of the growing season? When is the end of the season? The rhizomes for mine seem to be near the surface and may get eaten over winter. When should I replant, how deep?
You can dig up the clumps and replant at the correct depth in July or August, about one month after they stop blooming. this video may help you: ua-cam.com/video/ZbARqVDriJA/v-deo.html Most of the leaves will die back after it snows. You can cut them back in late fall or early spring, depending on your climate.
I've been growing irises for about 15 years something you also might want to mention is dividing them every 3 years it looks like yours are ready for division
Big time.
That ring structure is a dead giveaway.
I agree, it's a tough job to divide. So when i do, i plant them 18 inches apart.
When is the best time to divide?
@@deniseirby4054 in july
Only devide if each clump isn't providing flowers yours all are so leave them till they don't
This is the absolute BEST video of Iris care/planting on UA-cam! Thank you!
That's so great to hear. Thank you so much!
I don't THINK I searched this topic, but I definitely thought about it. Now the internet reads our minds. 😊
Thank you so much! You explained everything in an easy to understand way and there was so much great info!! (And you didn't take an hour to get to the point, etc.😉)❤
Cut just below the lowest flower bud. This keeps more of the water in the plant. Let the plant draw more from the flowering stem to strengthen the root tubers for next year. This is more important for areas that are in more desert like zones.
I had just finished cleaning up my irises when the algorithms showed me this video. It's good to get confirmation that I was doing the right thing.
So great to hear. Glad we are like minded.
According to our horticulturist, he says to leave it alone regarding the leaves until they die down in the fall. It’s ok to remove the spent flower and just leave the stalk. It’s not the prettiest way, but I get gorgeous 300 blooms every Spring. Fertilize in Fall and early Spring with 10-10-10..
Brand of fertilizer you use?
@@shawndakramer7352 just any 10-10-10..at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Also used for grass. Comes in a large bag.
Why would you fertilize in fall? They are going dormant.
The farm I bought my iris from, also said leave stalk. Moisture is important and healthy.
fall fertilizer helps build strong root reserves for next year.
I worked intuitively yesterday on irises planted last summer, my first, and lucked out. Whew!
Wonderful! Headed out the door to work on the Iris. thanks so much for the quick detailed information.
Good to know. I just moved part of a patch of ivory ones from an abandoned property. I cut the pieces into a short pointed fan shape. Hoping they make it in this heat.
Thank your Catherine! That was exactly what I needed to know. Other videos were a bit confusing. This was perfect. Thanks!
Thank you! We had a glorious spring here in southeastern NC and the iris beds I inherited when I moved here were the most abundantly beautiful they have ever been. I'll never cut them down to the ground because they make a nice bed of greenery all year around even after they bloom. The beds on either side of the front porch steps become a backdrop for summer annuals in front of them. There were so many blooms this year that i've needed to deadhead and cut the stalks back but wanted to make sure I did them right. Thanks again for the instruction!!
So glad it was helpful. And it's great to hear that NC has had an amazing iris year, too!
Cut the flower stalk down completely, not the whole plant!
Great video. Excellent content. I have always loved the green foliage of any flowering perennial and now with your great tip I can preserve their beauty so much longer.
My iris' will be blooming in about a week. Couldn't be more excited!
How exciting! I hope it ends up being a wonderful bloom year for you.
This is a wonderful video and exactly what I was looking for to learn how to care for my irises. Thank you!
Thank you so much for the feedback. I'm so glad to hear it was helpful.
Well said -- me to.
Great job couldn’t be more clear. Thanks so much for this 👏
Awsome tutorial, many thanks Catherine. I'm about to head off into the garden!
I know I'm kinda randomly asking but do anybody know a good place to stream newly released series online?
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I am a new iris owner.
Congratulations! I hope they bring you lots of joy for years to come.
Perfect timing ! My Iris have finished blooming, normally I let the stalks remain , but the look is not pleasing to the eye, so I shall go out now & clean things up. Thanks for the info.
So glad this was helpful to you. Thanks for the kind words.
Thank you for providing much needed info. I don’t like gardening but I love my irises and my roses. I can do that much.
That’s good to hear. It’s worth caring for what you love.
You have a pleasant voice. I think I will subscribe. Although I do know irises; been growing them for years.
Thank you for the video. Remember to always use your pruning shears with the blade towards the portion that you are going to retain. If the Anvil is towards the portion you are going to retain it will be a crushing cut which would heal much more slowly and look unattractive in the meantime. This is a general rule of thumb with all pruning
This was very informative for me. THANK YOU.This yr. Has been the BEST for me. Many more blooms and deep radiant golden and yellow colours. Deep dark purples and lilacs.
Like never berfoe. 2020 MICHIGAN.
THANK YOU JESUS.
So glad to hear you've had a great bloom year. That's wonderful!
Boy! You got some health iris plants 👍
Hi! from South Korea. I love iris too. especially German iris. Yours look so great
I collected iris leaves from the mountains behind where I live. I've plaited them and they support my nasturtiums. I'm thinking of making some shoes out of the plaits, like espadrilles. Thank you for the information.
Thank you for showing me how to trim my irises after they have bloomed.
Awesome video!! Thank you so much for these tips. God bless you and your channel
For iris growing in Colorado, what is your recommendation on trimming the leaves to a height of ~6" either in August or before winter. Thank you for the clear and helpful information on planting and deadheading iris.
Perfect tutorial, the one I was looking for 👌💕
I prune mine just like you do. O have noticed that some spent flowers will form a bulb.
Thanks for this, and previous video on planting iris. In both you mention "the hole in the middle" of the planting problem. My solution is to plant three rhizomes in a group, with all growing in the same direction, instead of out from the center. The whole patch may move with time, but you can always split off a few rhizomes from the front and move them to the back of the galloping herd!
That's a great idea. I really appreciate you sharing this with everyone. Smart thinking!
The spent blooms oft times develop a pod what is its significance and should that stem be kept? Cut?
Thank you for your informative tutorial. Very much appreciated, thank you.
Thanks for your video. My wife and I purchased our retirement home and there are 3 flower beds loaded with Iris's. Was not sure how to care for them now that they are done blooming. Thanks for the info. Terry
Wonderful! Hope they bring you joy for many years to come.
Interesting information . Seems like you are just making work. I’ve had the same irises for forty years without doing anything to them
Thank you for this easy to understand video! Awesome tips!!
Thank you for this excellent video on Irises ‼️‼️🌸
I appreciate the comment. Very glad to hear it was helpful to you!
Thank you for this video. When I moved into my place in the Spring of 2012, a few months after my father passed away, I planted a single Iris plant that I dug up from his yard. Since then it's taken over half the growing area outside my kitchen window, and grows more beautiful each year when it blooms. (As an aside, a few weeks ago while I was out on my patio in the early morning busy taking pictures of them, my kitty decided to escape - for the first time since I adopted her six years ago - because I forgot to close the screen door. Luckily she returned after a half hour, probably because she was ready for breakfast.. :-) Anyhow, now that the iris bed is in need of attention, I thought I'd search for a video showing how to properly do the job. In the past I've always just guessed how to do it. So your video is just what I need to go out there this time with the confidence to do it the right way.
I needed this right now!🙏🏻
Iris is a very tough plant. I trim the leaves in a fan shape also and I have way to many Iris!! ASAP I’m gonna be giving away a bunch. Good video.
That's great to hear. Yes, they are wonderful plants indeed!
I was just thinking about this today! Yeah, now I know what to do.
Jody Bradley Me too. Day after your post. Happy Gardening from Milwaukee !! 🌱🌷🌹🌻🌸🌺🌼
Great to hear!
Thank you! You, too!
Thanks for the tips Catherine. I'm always making a mess of them every year- this is helpful.
I appreciate your feedback.Thank you.
Very nicely done, comprehensive video.
That looks so much better! Thank you for the tips! 🌻
Very glad it was helpful!
I miss my Iris!
I had 30 + varieties in my Virginia Beach garden.
I'm now in Tucson and really miss my blooms.
Lift and divide every 2-3 years...
loved this video --- thank you, Catherine! Question here....how far apart should African Irises be planted??
UA-cam algorithms lead me here.! I like your video
Thank you so much new to this gardening thing so love it
When I first started with irises I cut the stalk after the first flower bloomed. I didn't realize that each stalk will eventually have several flowers on it. Oh the mistakes one makes when learning. :) I hope you get as much enjoyment from your garden as I have in my 70 years. I started as a child...digging weeds out of my dad's beautiful dichondra lawn.
Hello from.north central wyoming! Thx for the helpful video!!
It's great to hear from our neighbor to the north! Thanks for reaching out and I hope you have a fantastic iris year.
Nice Felco trimmers. The best!
There is “actually a plant health reason” to cut stalks on an angle, as it allows microbes, water, and insects/larvae to run off the angled cut surface rather than dwell there and cause rot or disease.
That’s what I have heard too Ava Salvatore
You actually can find as many professional gardeners that believe this angle cutting is bunk.
Let’s fight about angled cutting.....
Actually
@@ERMAV 🤣😆🤣
Wow! Nice plants!😄
Thank yous for sharing....
Definitely looks different, Appreciate your time and effort plus teaching and tutorials on how you like it done.
Thank you much for this great timely info. I'm in Boise, ID and my Irises (IRI?? LOL) are about finished blooming. I m so glad to know the best way to cut, prune and tidy up my favorite garden.
Very helpful, thank you for sharing.
I am going out in the morning and doing this.
Amazing, how did you know I planted Irises today? Thanks for the tutorial ! Btw.... you are a beautiful lady, I love your hair. Forget about it!
Thank you so much. I hope your irises thrive for many years!
I’ve always been taught to leave the stalks on, Bc the plant actually absorbs the nutrients back into themselves. If you just cut off the dead flowers, you won’t even see the green stalk within the leaves.
👍
I was just searching irises last night. Look where the algorithm brought me.
Thank you for the tip! I’ll be doing that with mine 😊
Ive always cut them down low for the winter and they grow back for Spring/Summer
I do the same and they bloom every spring
Thats what Martha Stewart did ,cut them down at an angle in the fall
Any ideas for what to do with irises where weeds have settled into the midst of the irises? Like dandelions and thistle?
I was just thinking the same thing. I have a ton of irises and the weeds are so hard to control in them.
....zone 6 here. Iris just starting here....after blooming like to clip off the flower stalks too...
My Irises are pretty indestructible. If you can't weed around them, dig them up, remove the weeds, drop them back in. Best time to do it is a month after they finish blooming. This is also when you should spread them. If you are getting a lot of foliage and few blooms, the tubers are crowded. Dig them up, break them apart, spread them out, and replant. I do this every 3-4 years. If you see a withered old tuber, break off the healthy parts to replant and discard the old part... then share the extra with your neighbors. I have shared hundreds over the years, irises from my yard are all over my town now 😀
We must be kindred spirits. :) Hope the flowers are amazing this year!
Since dandelion and thistle are pretty tough weeds, you might want to tackle them when you divide the clump. We usually do that in late July/August in Colorado. You could hand weed for now to keep them under control, being aware they'll come back from the root.
SO informative!! Thank you!!!
Thanks, this video helped me a lot.
Cutting off the bloom after it is DONE blooming is a good idea for all blooming plants. For an Iris they need to be thinned out once in awhile. But an Iris is very sturdy plant!
Hi Catherine - I tried to maintain the spreading of my bearded irises, but came across the ugly mushy rhizomes (because of borers :( do you have a video on that issue please?! thanks a lot. Hala
I am like you, I like them to look tidy. Thank you.
Another vote for tidy. I'm out deadheading in the garden every day. It's relaxing. And I love to compost.
Thank you for your very Thorough instructions.
The directions were thoughtful and very easy to follow; this is my first year cutting back the irises and you made it very delightful.
CAB
Hello good job. Any seeds after flowering. Thanks
Great video!
Thanks so much for your video, much appreciated! 😊
Thank you!
Thank you. I have a reblooming iris (Ziggy) that I planted last year in August. It bloomed this year but not well. Perhaps it needs a sunnier spot away from the surrounding perennials. Because it’s considered a rebloomer, should it be moved at a different time than other irises, like after its second bloom? When it the best time to move reblooming irises? 🙏
Thank you. Very informative!
I allowed mine to flower and then I got huge seed pods that showed up after the flower
Have you successfully germinated seeds from an iris seed pod?
@Jim Marcum I have not had any luck with germinating the seeds from the pods. I am hoping to get information here about how to go about it the right way, if possible. They will multiply from the tubers just fine. But I was wondering about the seeds and if a different variety would show up from the seeds.
I always cut off any pods since I don't want the iris to spread more than it already is. Once mine bloom in spring (zone 5 Chicago) I try to take all stalks off. I use the tall iris to hide vents and things on the side of my house I don't like the look of
What do you do about the grubs that eat the center of your iris rizomes?? God bless.
I have quite a few irises and they haven’t bloomed well this year. What am I doing wrong. I noticed that yours are growing in clusters. A lot of mine are singles. What should I do and how deep do you plant them Joey T
I have been doing this treatment for years. Do you have any tips to strengthen the plant. For example fertilizer. I have noticed some of the tubers have died off. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening ?
I love this video, thanks so much.
What's a good product to keep your irises free of bores? Bores took out my whole iris flower bed. Leaves came up but they wouldnt bloom anymore.
www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/iris/iris-borers.htm
Thanks dear for sharing this tip how to deadhead the iris...I'm gonna make mine too
Thank you! Very helpful video =)
You can use Aloe Vera on the cuts to minimize plant browning.
Very Nice. Thank you!
Thanks from Slovenija ❤️
Oh wow! We are kindred gardeners halfway across the world. That's wonderful.
Thank you for your video!
So I've never done this. I get these body snatcher looking types of growths after the iris as bloomed. I thought these were needed for next years bloom?
Thanks very much for the info very much appreciared
Thanks you for this information.
Greatly appreciate the comment. Thank you!
I have a beautiful iris. But for some reason it died back all the way to just a oblong bulb . What can I do to save it?
When they start turning brown or dying back, I run the mower over mine. They come back even more and I an over run with them, I am going ti dig a lot up and give them away.
They will multiple a lot without mowing over them. I've never done anything to mine, and the spot they're it way overcrowded in 3 - 4 yrs.
Thanks for the video. I live in Michigan. How do I treat iris bore? My plant's have been wiped out the last couple of years. Thanks 😊
Gosh, I'm not sure. Iris borer is not common in my area, so don't have any experience to share. Hope you find some good information.
Imma go do this
Does the same rhizome produce flowers the following years? I don't think so. Once a stalk has bloomed, that rhizome can be cut off completely.
Very informative
Hello, can I ask a question please? I have an iris bloom stalk with a tiny peice of rhizome about an inch by inch, will it grow?
Yes
It's worth a try. Let us know what happens!
@@catherinemoravec1648 so far the top is turning brown. Not looking good.
Yes, it will grow, the reason it turning brown is maybe it going dormant for the season. Put it in the ground & wait for next season and see it coming. I grew an even worse looking rhizome last year and they all coming back this year, they are very hardy, hard to kill 👌
@@Footprintsinthegarden Its in the ground. Its the growing season for them. Spring. I dont hold much hope for it
I cut the flower stalks off a bit at a time, and not all at once.
Not one iris bloomed here .. we have several houses on our horse farm and there has been a few blooms but even in our area, few blooms ! We had a late frost, did not get the apple blooms this year but husband says that is why our iris did not bloom. I didn’t think I have been known of a frost that hurt iris?! ??
I have reblooming Irises, so dead-heading them after the first flowers are spent will not have a chance to rebloom.
Great point!
What do you do with iris' at the end of the growing season? When is the end of the season? The rhizomes for mine seem to be near the surface and may get eaten over winter. When should I replant, how deep?
You can dig up the clumps and replant at the correct depth in July or August, about one month after they stop blooming. this video may help you: ua-cam.com/video/ZbARqVDriJA/v-deo.html
Most of the leaves will die back after it snows. You can cut them back in late fall or early spring, depending on your climate.
Iris rhizomes do not want to be planted underground. They live on the surface, at least in southwest Missouri.
At the end of the season or lets say winter do I cut the entire plant downward, leaving a few inches?
I have iris who are supposed to reblooming and they said to ut after blooming. Is that the way to make them reblooming??
Thank you!