Bearded Iris
Bearded Iris
The swordlike blue green leaves protruding in a colonized cluster display a striking contrast in any flower bed. The tall sturdy flower stem can reach up to twenty eight inches or more, looks like delicate crepe paper and velveteen. Its fragrance hints of lilac and candy can be alluring. This poor man s orchid comes in a kaleidoscope of every color (except fire engine red) which is why irises were named after the Greek goddess Iris, goddess of the rainbow.From a historical point of view, the tall bearded iris goes back twenty or more generations from a gene pool of ten species of Old World and Mediterranean iris. The fleur-de-lis design used on the French royal standard was modeled after the iris. Today s hybrids, which comprise of approximately two hundred species are far more voluptuous and grandiose than their ancestors.

The bearded iris blossom is made up of three upright petals called the standards and three drooping petals called falls. The beard refers to the velvet strip inside the flower. Their rhizomes love to bask in full sun, although I found part shade to be acceptable. The important factor for growing bearded iris is that they need a well- drained soil. A wet environment can lead to rot as well as invite other problems such as iris borer. It is best to plant iris in mid-July through September, although in areas with hot summers and mild winters, September or October may be better. Plant the rhizome tops right at the soil level and point the growing tips outward of the circle or triangle, 12 to 24 inches apart. Keep the beds clean and free of vegetation and mulch for winter protection. Iris should be divided every three or four years. If allowed to become overcrowded, blooming will decline and other disease problems can occur.
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why have my iris’ never bloomed. the leaves have come up and been up for 18 months, no blooms!?
Comment by penny prouty — 11/19/2004 @ 7:56 am
I cannot find any information on deadheading my Iris. Do I just pluck out the old bloom or break it off at the stem or just leave it alone. I am not very knowledgabe about flowers so my jargon is lacking. There is a small swollen area below the bloom. If I deadhead, do I break the stem above or below this? Is there a time frame after the blooms die in which to do this? I hope you can understand what I am talking about. Thanks, Leo
Comment by leo mckiney — 4/29/2005 @ 8:49 am
My hybrid bearded iris is 13 years old; why is it now changing to lighter colors
Comment by mindy — 5/14/2005 @ 4:18 am
what kind of soil do iris like…acid or alkaline?
Comment by nancy stone — 5/16/2005 @ 8:03 am
My Bearded Iris have flowers that are deformed and appear to be rotting. This occurrs side by side with beautiful healthy blooms. The plants appear healthy and do not appear to have any signs of iris boroer damage. What is cauisng this? I read it may be aphids but see no sign of them, are they
hard to see?
Comment by Cheryl Koranda — 5/22/2005 @ 6:33 pm
When do you cut a iris plant back? Or do you?
Comment by Laura Peavy — 5/23/2005 @ 4:32 pm
I have several starter plant of bearded iris. Several people said that if i plant them too close they will all fade and become one color. Is this true?
Comment by bill schlosser — 6/5/2005 @ 11:00 am
Bearded Iris- I have pods (I think that is what you would call them) that grow where the bloom was. Can these be planted to make more irises? Do I need to open and dry the seed inside? Help? I also get these on my daylilies and want to know what to do with them.
Comment by Judy — 6/5/2005 @ 2:26 pm
I have MANY older Iris plants that need to be transplanted now to make way for a new driveway. What is the best procedure?
Comment by Jone D. — 6/7/2005 @ 1:17 pm
I have bearded Iris that are quite big, some bloom, some don’t - then I have the regular beared Iris (I think) that usually blooms purple/blue color. However, this year they ALL bloomed white. Any reasons anyone can tell me.
Thanks, Glenda
Comment by Glenda — 6/24/2005 @ 5:20 pm
My iris did not bloom this year and I would like to cut them back now. Will that be ok? Also can I put mulch on them?
Comment by Jo Norris — 6/30/2005 @ 6:30 am
I had to replant my bearded iris’s last July, I used bulb food before replanting. This spring the leaves are brown on ends and have brown spots on the whole leaf. What did/am I doing wrong?
Comment by Kris — 7/8/2005 @ 9:07 am
My iris bloomed beautifully this year. while weeding the bed I notices some leave brown all the way down and mushy. Also the tip on some are turning brown. There are no “spots” as noted in the notes above, but turning dried brown sometimes 2 inches to 4-5 inches down. What is it and what should I do? Thank you
Comment by Gary V. Horton — 7/15/2005 @ 5:18 am
I have dug up , separated and trimmed my iris. Is there a special plant food or other chemical I should prepare the soil with before replanting?
Comment by lorraine talpas — 8/13/2005 @ 4:15 pm
MY HUSBAND AND I ENJOY THE LOOK OF THE IRIS STEMS AND WANT TO INCORPORATE THEM INTO OUR WOODED GARDEN AS A BACK DROP - WILL THEY BLOOM AT ALL?
Comment by JENNIFER — 8/26/2005 @ 7:45 am
We are moving in the middle of winter. I would like to take some favorite iris with me. If I dig them up before frost, what can I do to keep the plants healthy until the spring when I can replant them. I live in the northeast mountains where spring comes late.
Comment by Susan Goodwin — 9/24/2005 @ 4:44 am
I have found that some of my iris product short stunted deformed flowerheads that barely rise above the tuber, other iris in the same bed flower fine. What could be causing this problem? Thanks.
It’s possible the either insect or mechanical injury caused damage to the growing point on the iris resulting in distorted growth.
Comment by verlie — 10/21/2005 @ 2:59 pm
Having dug up to separate plants, which did not bloom well this past season, how much of the rhizome must I cut off? Do you cut it with a knife or snap it off in your hands?
Comment by Gary — 10/29/2005 @ 8:52 pm
How do I store Bearded Iris Rhizomes over the winter in updtate NY?
Comment by Kris — 12/31/2005 @ 3:56 pm
I just planted some bearded iris and some of the buds are drooping over. There are more buds coming but I am worried they are going to droop too. The leaves are green. Any advice?
Comment by Mary — 5/2/2006 @ 8:48 am
I divided last spring not the best time but did it….many plants do NOT have any flower blooms just the green, while others do? it doesn’t appear to be related to area planted, because some areas of replants have blooms, while some within same area do not…dissappointed but await with hope
Comment by Karen — 5/13/2006 @ 4:52 am
My purple iris have not grown as tall and the blooms are misshapen. Some of the buds are not even openingl. I noticed very small greyish crawly insects as I pulled back the last leaf that the bud emerges from. I’m not sure what these are and would like to know how what to use to kill them before they spread to the neighboring yellow iris which is blooming beautifully.
Elaine Slupe
Comment by Elaine Slupe — 5/22/2006 @ 5:50 am
My friend gave me some beared iris in early May. The ground isn’t ready to plant them until next fall, so they are in flower pots now. I live in Minnesota. Pls advise what should I do to them during winter to make sure they will come back next spring. Should I just leave the iris in the pots and store them in the basement and not water them during winter?
Comment by Shannon — 5/31/2006 @ 9:47 am
I have bed full of old bearded Iris (a Deep Purple with white center), that were given to me by a friend. My Grandmother had beds around her entire house with nothing but iris all labled with their names. However, this particular Iris has something that I have never seen before. After blooming, hudge blooms and about six to one stalk (several that come from the same pod or at least appear to), it forms something that looks like a seed pod and is about the size of a small cucumber. What is this and should I just cut it off?
Thanks, J. Kuettel
Comment by J. Kuettel — 6/8/2006 @ 1:18 pm
Where, when, and how deep do I need to plant the ripened iris seeds?
Comment by Debra Grover — 6/9/2006 @ 7:27 am
LOTS OF GREAT INFORMATION
Comment by mari — 6/25/2006 @ 6:21 am
I live in central Iowa and in late September I planted iris bulbs and mulched them. We’ve had a pretty mild fall and I noted that my bulbs have sprouted through. Is there something that I need to do to protect them through the winter?
Comment by Kris — 9/10/2006 @ 9:41 pm
My bearded iris blooms well in the spring and has healthy leaves. My only problem is that the stems require support stakes or they fall over. That’s a lot of work and I have not noticed anyone else having to stake irises. Please help!
Comment by Pam Borden — 9/23/2006 @ 12:15 pm
do i need to do anything to my iris’ to keep them safe over winter? Do i need to cut back the foliage at all? Some are single bloom while others are reblooming iris’
Comment by Allison — 10/28/2006 @ 10:52 pm
Ihave no knowledge of IRIS but rcvd 300 dug up bulbs its DEC7 how do i store them and when to plant in Va. they have 2 IN long green leaves and foot long dead roots? Help plz
Comment by Ron Wisner — 12/7/2006 @ 7:29 pm
I planted two bearded iris bulbs two years ago. They came up beautifully each year, except this year they are all drooping to the point that they are actually laying down on the ground. They have plenty of sun, and I water them regularly. What would cause this, and how do I fix it? They are to lovely to lay on the ground. Thank you so much.
Comment by Sheryl — 5/31/2007 @ 3:13 pm
My front yard is full of iris, these plants have been for many years. Is there anything I can feed them to get a healthy bloom. Thanks
Comment by Cela H — 7/17/2007 @ 3:53 pm
I have a scale or aphid like infestation on my Iris leaves. It is some kind of bug. I rubbed it off on leaf and looked like aphids, but doesn’t look like any aphid I have seen. Any help to get rid of this or what it is would be appreciated.
Comment by Nita — 8/11/2007 @ 4:48 pm
We bought our home in Spring of 2006. The previous owners had made a beautiful hybrid bearded Iris bed in the shape of an island on one side of the driveway which faces west. The blooms were just terrific that year and this year. The blooms lasted about a month or so, then were all done blooming. I have noticed that the bulbs seem to be mostly above the ground and very, very close together. What do I do with them now(mid August,2007). I have been cutting the leaves off at the ground level, but I have read that I should not be doing this. I think most of the bulbs have been there for at least 10+ years. I have no idea on how to “divide” them. Do I throw away bulbs that I don’t want? I truly need your help in this matter. Thanks. S. Corey, Chicago suburb
Comment by Sara Corey — 8/12/2007 @ 12:30 pm
we moved into our new home last sept and there is a large circle of really small iris but only a few of them came up, how do i make them fill in? thanks
Comment by julie bassard — 10/22/2007 @ 6:39 am
my daughter brought home from school 2 months ago give or take 2 iris bulbs in a small 6 cm high pot made out of what cups are made out of with no holes at bottom now 1 is 30 cm high i can see bulb popping out and the other next to it with no bulb showing deeper this one is twice the height and leaning over worried they will break what do i have to do with them my daughter is 4 and is amazed at how they are growing can’t let her down its her first special thing we want to keep please help
Comment by emma — 4/9/2008 @ 4:08 pm
THANKS BUT THE LITE GREEN LEAVES THAT ARE SHOOTING OUT IS THIS BLOOMING AND WHEN THE DIE THAT WEN THE STEM CUMS IF SO OK AND WEN DO I PUT THEM IN GARDEN AND I HAVE NO FLOWER BIT ITS ALL CONCREAT SLABS SO CAN A DO IT USING POTS AND IF SO HOW THANKYOU AND THESE GREENY THINGS SHOOTING OUT DO I HAVE TO TIE A STIK TO THEM
Comment by emma — 4/10/2008 @ 7:32 am
I would like to know what the gestation period is for Iris bulbs? I planted 6 Iris bulbs, outdoors, in a large pot, back in late October. It’s now the end of April and I haven’t seen any signs of growth. I’ve followed all of the planting instructions and make sure that they get plenty of sunlight and water. Could you tell me when I should see the first signs and if you think there is a possibility they’ll bloom this year?
Comment by Jillian — 4/23/2008 @ 12:14 pm
I have 2 iris beds growing, they are 3 years old, very healthy, one side has buds. Tonight we have a frost comming ,in I live I think in aone 5 or 6, upstate New york, Orange County. Should I cover them and if so with what?
Comment by Anna Di Vietri — 4/29/2008 @ 11:14 am