I've only grown the dwarf bearded iris - I love them! I find the foliage stays quite neat and tidy (unlike some taller iris I've seen). I never fertilize and still get a nice display of blooms, but dividing every few years is necessary, unfortunately. Maybe I'd get even more blooms if I fertilize - ? .

You don't mention if your irises are primarily bearded iris. Bearded iris, though, really need periodic dividing or they won't flower. If dividing isn't something your interested in doing, I'd definitely give them away to make room for something that will work better for you!

Bearded iris also won't bloom if they get too much shade or if they are planted too deeply.

Good luck.

Yes theses are bearded iris.

Where do you live, jake? Zone 7 is in alot of different areas, and the climate conditions can vary widely. Bearded irises are very sensitive to climate conditions. In my hot and very humid zone 7 with clay soil, most bearded irises are difficult to grow well. They will rot if you mulch them too much here. They are very prone to borers too. But my biggest complaint with them is that even the ones that survive and even bloom, look dreadfully ratty by mid to late summer. The foliage just doesn't hold up well in our climate. I have ordered a couple of very old fashioned ones to try this year and if those are no better, I am going to swear off them. Two weeks of bloom a year just doesn't pay the rent for that dreadful foliage the other 50 weeks.

I'm outside Baltimore. Hot and humid. I cut the foliage back to 4-5 inches and they grow back well. But this year has not been good. My garden is becoming daylilies and perennial geraniums and daffs.

Oh, just because irises are no good, don't limit yourself! There are oh so many lovely perennials that are easy to grow in your zone! I would suggest you get a copy of The Southern Living Garden Book. It gives absolutely wonderful information about what will grow well in your area.

That is why I love the *dwarf* bearded iris - the foliage doesn't look too ratty after blooming.

Please don't give up on Irises. They really are usually very carefree and easy to grow, and the display of having several dozen in bloom in different colors in your garden is show-stopping. They are worth trying for.

I planted about 40-some varieties of Iris in the fall of 2007. Last year I estimate that about 60% bloomed and this year about 85 or 90%. I think that they often need two springs to really get in the mode to bloom. This year my Irises have been show stoppers, just absolutely gorgeous.

Here are the things it seems in my experience that increases your chances of success with Irises:

When you plant, barely cover them. Make sure that the tops of the Irises are exposed to the sun. I can actually see where my rhizomes are because they are not covered on the top with soil. This not only helps them bloom better, but it also prevents rot which is a big killer of Iris. It got to under 0 degrees here in January, and yet I don't see any signs of any of my Iris dying despite being exposed, even though I did not mulch. So, unless you live in super cold areas, the freeze won't hurt them even when they are buried shallow.

Keep them well-weeded. The rhizomes multiply quickly and don't like competition for sunlight or space from weeds and weed roots.

Not too much fertilizer. Last year my irises didn't bloom as much even though I fertilized them. This year I didn't fertilize and they did amazingly. I've read that fertilizer also leads to rot. Also, with a lot of perennials, fertilizer will make more green and less blooms. I suspect there is an element of truth with Irises on this aspect too.

Divide every few years. Some varieties are incredibly vigorous multipliers, like War Chief (an awesome ruby red, incredibly prolific bloomer which I highly recommend) and Strange Brew (yellow with lavendar falls). One plant quickly becomes four or five. And when they are crowded, they suffer and don't bloom as well.

So in summary, I think the main points are give them their space, give them their light, keep them dry and don't overfeed. Irises really are so carefree (at least in pa, zone 6) that if they aren't doing well, the problem probably falls into one of those categories.

BTW: I have Afternoon Delight as well, and it is a pretty vigorous variety. Maybe you should pick Iris with similiar vigor. And plant them the same way you planted AD. I would recommend War Chief, Warrior King, Supreme Sultan, Beverly Sills, Dusky Challenger, Strange Brew, Final Decision. I think these are pretty much fool-proof.

Try Iris siberica, the siberian iris. The foliage stays nice all season long, and they don't require frequent division to continue blooming adn looking good. They fit right into the perennial garden and look lovely with peonies, as they bloom at the same time of year. Just cut down the foliage in the fall, or early spring and let them go.... they just form larger clumps which may need to be divided when the center of the clump dies out after many years.