Planting, Growing, and Caring for Irises
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Planting
Irises bloom best in full sun, meaning at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily. They can tolerate as little as half a day of sun, but it’s not ideal. Without enough light, they won’t bloom well. Bearded irises must not be shaded out by other plants; many do best in a special bed.
Provide well-draining, fertile, neutral to slightly acidic soil. Loosen the soil to 12 to 15 inches deep, then mix in compost or aged manure. Good drainage is critical: Irises prefer “wet feet, but dry knees.” They will not tolerate wet soil in winter. Learn more about preparing the soil for planting and organic soil amendments.
When to Plant Irises
- Plant most irises in late summer to early fall, when nighttime temperatures remain between 40° and 50°F (4° and 10°C) or above. This gives them plenty of time to get established before the coming winter.
- Tall bearded iris varieties are best planted closer to fall because they tend to go dormant in early to mid-summer.
- If you receive bare rhizomes or irises in a container at some point earlier in the year, plant them as soon as possible. It’s better to get them in the ground rather than wait until the “ideal” time.
How to Plant Irises
- Plant bare-root rhizomes (the thick stems) horizontally, with the top exposed and only the roots underground. In areas with particularly hot summers, set the rhizome just below the soil surface.
- Dig a hole 10 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep. Make a ridge of soil down the middle and place the rhizome on the ridge, spreading the roots down both sides. Fill in the hole and firm it gently, leaving part of the rhizome and the foliage uncovered.
- Plant singly or in groups of three, 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on the fully grown plant’s size.
- Soak Siberian iris rhizomes in water overnight before planting, then set them 1 inch deep (2 inches, if the soil is sandy), 2 feet apart. Over a period of years, they will form clumps; divide when blooms get smaller and vigor declines.
- Do not mulch around the rhizome, as this may encourage rot.
- Water thoroughly.
Growing
How to Grow Irises
- In the early spring, remove winter mulch and old foliage to allow for fresh growth.
- Fertilize in early spring, scratching an all-purpose fertilizer around the plants. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. Reblooming irises perform best if fertilized again after the first wave of flowering is finished.
- Do not overwater irises; too much moisture in the soil can cause the rhizomes to rot. Water consistently and deeply, especially during summer drought.
- Keep rhizomes exposed. Unlike bulbs, which thrive deep underground, bearded iris rhizomes need a bit of sun and air to dry them out. If they’re covered with soil or crowded by other plants, they’ll rot.
- Taller irises may need staking, or they will fall over.
- Deadhead (remove spent blooms) consistently. Bearded Irises flower sequentially on buds spaced along the stems.
- After blooming is finished, cut flower stems down to their base to discourage rhizome rot, but do NOT trim the iris’ leaves. The plant’s foliage carries on with photosynthesis and generates energy for next year’s growth and flowers. Only prune off brown leaf tips, if desired.
- After a hard frost in the fall, cut foliage back hard, remove any foliage that appears spotted or yellowed, and dispose of all debris in the trash.
- If iris foliage is hit with heavy frost, remove and destroy it to eliminate borer eggs. See your local frost dates.
- For winter protection, cover the rhizomes with an inch or two of sand topped with a light layer of evergreen boughs, applied after the ground freezes and removed when the forsythias bloom in the following spring.
- Iris borer, a common iris pest, overwinters as eggs in spent leaves. Signs include vertical streaks in the leaves. If apparent, look for the pests and squash them! If you see rot in the rhizome, dig it up and remove the affected parts. See pest tips below.
Dividing Irises
Over time, it’s not unusual for plantings of irises to become overcrowded, which causes the rhizomes to lose vitality and stop blooming. When this happens (usually every 2 to 5 years), it’s time to divide and replant healthy rhizomes in fresh soil.
When to divide? Do this task after flowering finishes, and then trim the foliage back to six inches.
- Shortly after blooming (usually around midsummer), carefully dig up (lift) the clump of irises. You’ll find that the original rhizome that you planted (the “mother”) has produced several offshoot rhizomes.
- Separate these rhizomes from the mother with a sharp knife and discard the mother, as it will no longer produce blooms.
- Inspect the rhizomes for any rotting tissue, soft spots, or other signs of disease, removing and discarding infected parts or entire unhealthy rhizomes.
- Plant these fresh rhizomes in a new bed, replant them where they were before (after adding new soil), or share them with friends and spread the joy of irises!
Types
The tall bearded irises, Iris germanica, come in many flamboyant colors. They are generally planted in the fall. Rebloomers (remontant) varieties include:
- ‘Immortality’: fragrant white flowers that appear in early summer and again in late summer; hardy to Zone 4
- ‘Feed Back’: fragrant dark purple flowers; Zones 4 to 9
- ‘Earl of Essex’: white flowers, with purple edging; Zones 3 to 10
- ‘Jennifer Rebecca’: mauve pink flowers; Zones 4 to 9
Credit: Pixabay
Siberian irises, I. sibirica, also come in a range of colors. They have a more delicate beauty than the stately bearded irises, but are equally as rugged. They also tend to be more pest and disease resistant.
- ‘Blueberry Fair’: ruffled blue flowers; Zones 3 to 8
- ‘Fond Kiss’: white flowers with pink flush; Zones 3 to 8
Credit: Pixabay.
Japanese irises, I. ensata, bear huge, flat blooms. These heavy feeders thrive on moisture during the growing season and do well around ponds; move to drier ground for fall and winter.
- ‘Coho’: pink flowers with golden flush; Zones 4 to 9
- ‘Variegata’: dark purple-reddish flowers; Zones 4 to 9
Credit: Pixabay.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Hi Lisa,
The roots do not grow that deep or widespread, but irises are prolific reproducers. They will grow new rhizomes connected to the first, requiring they be dug up, separated, and replanted every 3 to 5 years. They may become a problem in the future if you plant them too close to the tile bed.
Thank you that was really helpful!
I received 50 iris rhizomes last fall and planted them. They now are approximately 3 feet tall and are flat for a leaf fans. They received direct sunlight throughout the day and are in a fairly dry area. I'm not even sure they are irises, I can see nowhere a flower might emerge.
Sorry, posted too soon. My question is, I was told they were irises, and I have no reason to question that. I'm just curious where the flower might come from. We are in Massachusetts, this is the first year of growth of these newly replanted plants. Should I expect to see some flower blossoms?
I replanted all our iris, which were scattered, in one place where tey got more sun. They were variously colored, but now when they bloomed were all white. Can you tell me why? And can this be fixed?
Hi Suzanne,
It’s not possible to know exactly what happened, but there are a few possibilities. Irises do not bloom every year. If you took irises from one area that only ever bloomed purple and replanted them elsewhere, you could have unknowingly planted another kind of iris that didn’t bloom or hadn’t bloomed in a long time. All of the colored irises may simply not be blooming this year, while the new kind are blooming. The other kind of irises should bloom in future years. To reduce the chances of more white ones spreading, deadhead the flowers and throw them away.
My neighbor uprooted his irises and gave me a large bag of them. I don't want to wait until fall in case the bulbs die. Can I plant them in June?
Planting in June should not be a problem, June. Realize that you are not likely to get any blooms this year, but your plants should set up nicely to flower next spring. Good luck!
My grandmother had a purple iris that smelled like grapes, can you tell me which one it was so I can plant them?
Hi, Candy. It sounds like your grandmother was probably growing Iris pallida ‘Variegata’.
