What to do with very old patch of Iris?

[Mic's Chicks]

I bought a house on 6 acres with thousands of old Iris. They are everywhere! There is a large thick bed along part of my front fence. That area is probably 4 to 5 feet wide and about 40 feet long.....solid Iris....the tubers are visible on top of the ground....

Right now the leaves are probably a foot tall.... I am in north Texas...just south of Ft Worth. Should I do anything with them at this time of year? I bought this place at the end of May last year.... They were blooming some then...but not as much as I would expect. I am sure they have not been divided or anything in several years because the seller's husband had passed away a few years back and she did not like to garden so all the beds are very overgrown.

Should I thin them out or put anything on them so that they might bloom more this year?

They are very old Iris.....not really big fancy ones....they are mostly light purplish...a few are yellows....

Also.....last weekend I was cleaning out a large bed.....I left lots of Iris growing around the sides and back of it....but I dug up hundreds of Iris. Actually I moved the rocks that outline the bed about five feet forward on the back side to make the bed smaller because the Iris were so thick back there and the bed was so big. I left those Iris that are now outside the bed....but I dug up hundreds from the middle of the bed...

I can't stand to just throw flowers away.....so I have 3 five gallon buckets full of tubers now!! If I plant these in a new bed will they grow and bloom this year? I am giving some to family members and friends....but should they expect them to bloom this year or not?

I know this is the wrong time of year to dig Iris....but I am trying to get the beds ready for other flowers and some of the Iris just have to go!

Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated!

Micki









Any opinions or suggestions would be appreciated!

Micki

 

[lesa]

You can divide them. Doing it now, you will probably not get blooms the first year... I have dug tubers and left them sitting in the garage for months- they still grow. It is pretty hard to kill them. Unlike other bulbs, they do get planted with a bit of the tuber showing above ground. If you have used and given away all that you can- maybe an ad on Craigslist will help? When they are crowded they bloom less and less. Dividing them up, will increase your blooms. Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress!

 

[lesa]

Just saw that this was your first post- Welcome!!

 

[rebbetzin]

Last year my neighbor thinnned out her irises, and I got quite a few tubers...But, they HATE where I planted them! I think I am going to put them in a different place this year.

 

[catjac1975]

If you don't want them all put them on craig's list and make a few dollars.

 

[catjac1975]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/Rebbetzin/2011/Email Iconx/TEGWelcome01email.jpg

Last year my neighbor thinnned out her irises, and I got quite a few tubers...But, they HATE where I planted them! I think I am going to put them in a different place this year.

Your neighbors hate where you planted them on your own property? And your going to move them?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined us!

Iris can be hard to kill. Just throw them on top of the ground and they will probably live and grow. It's not the best time of year to transplant so you will probably not get many, if any, blooms from the ones you move, but you might get a few.

If you do transplant them, iris like the top of the tuber to get sunburned. Don't totally bury the tuber but leave about half sticking up out of the ground.

They will bloom better if you occasionally thin them out. I've got a bed out front that I'll need to do that to late this summer. They are getting pretty thick.

I've told this iris story on here before but I think it is a good one. My wife's grandmother was an invalid and loved iris. Her husband planted iris where she could see them from her bed and could see him working in them. He bred them and developed a couple of varieties. But nobody saved those varieties when they died and the house was sold.

That's why I've go that big iris bed out front. My wife is not an invalid but she remembers her grandfather's iris beds.

 

[Just-Moxie]

If you don't want them all put them on craig's list and make a few dollars.

I second that...put them on CL. If I were closer, I'd be right over.