Irises

 Since they are currently blooming in my garden I figured now would be a great time to talk about Irises and caring for them. 

First of all I would recommend irises for black thumb people or new plant parents who don't have a lot of time to commit to Irises. They require pretty minimal effort and will continue to grow every year. 

Also Irises fall into my "Please don't ever buy these" category, unless you are looking for a very specific color. I promise if you ask around someone always wants to get rid of/divide theirs. Some other plants on this list include: daylilies, hostas, black eyed susans, sedum.

Irises are great, they come in a variety of colors, they typically bloom once a year (usually late spring early summer) although there are some variety that bloom in fall as well and they are a good filler plant. They prefer full sun but can tolerate part shade if you have a tricky area. They can grow in zones 3-9 so pretty versatile. 

This is my neighbor's Iris who is a Master Gardner, she always has some of the best plants, Irises included 

I love the contrast in these with the purple and white. I literally saw these driving down the road and had to pull over to take a picture because I thought they were so neat!

Tips for planting Irises 

Best time of year:

If you are planting irises that you received from a co-worker or friend (see what I did there :) ). I would recommend planting them in late summer/early fall for healthiest results. I have planted some in July- which I just wouldn't really recommend for any plant, but we all make mistakes. The July ones really struggled that year and into the next year as well. 

How to transplant them:

Ok getting a little technical here-the bottom "root" part of Irises are called "rhizomes". Unlike most other plants they do not like to be buried underground. So when you go to plant Irises you need to dig a shallow hole- maybe 2-3 deep at most and basically just set the iris rhizomes in. Do not put dirt on top of them.  

From there if you are transplanting the Iris you should cut the stems of the plant down to about 6 inches tall in a fan shape. If you don't they will be ok but they will look terrible. The plant is in a little bit of a shock from being transplanted and therefore cannot handle a full stem. 

Some Irises ready to be transplanted

Watering and overall care: 

Water immediately after planting, try not to water the rhizomes directly- they just don't like being messed with. 

I tend to water things more the first year to get established and then leave them to their own devices. This works well for Irises. I would typically water them every few days if new and then the next year let the weather take care of the watering. They are very drought tolerant and don't like to be soaked. 

Also be careful when mulching not to throw mulch directly on the rhizome but around it.  

I typically deadhead the iris after it is done blooming- mostly because it doesn't really look that pretty when its done blooming. The leaves of the Iris are a nice filler plant all summer/fall. 

Purple Irises in my yard from my neighbor Rhonda 

You can see they are an easy filler. You can't even tell that the previous house owner took a weed whacker and tore up part of the siding. 

Pink Irises in my side yard from my co-worker Sherry!

That's it! enjoy your Irises 

Fun Fact: Did you know that the the fleur-de-lis is inspired by iris blooms? Pretty neat huh?!