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Cottage Gardens

Tall Bearded Iris, I got foliage few blooms

10 years ago

When I find these at the nurseries usually you get a pot with at least three nice big rhizomes with big leaves and only one of the rhizomes has a very tall stalk with a bloom or two and a bud. Forced blooms I'm sure so the consumer can see the color,ect. I've planted various such Iris up to three and four years ago and still get the healthy looking foliage and the single tall stalk with multiple blooms. And no, I do not trim back the foliage until late Fall.

My older clumps, and by older I mean many years old, of B.Iris multiply and I get lots of stalks with blooms (and sometimes never trim them back). I wonder why? How long does it take for these new varieties to flourish?

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Comments (8)

lola-lemon
10 years ago
Are they getting enough sun?
schoolhouse_gw
Original Author
10 years ago
Full sun until 4pm.or so. It's just weird they keep sending out this lone tall stalk loaded with blooms. Which usually falls over eventually if I don't stake it.
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organic_kitten
10 years ago
Are they still in pots or in the ground? are the rhizomes above ground?

kay
schoolhouse_gw
Original Author
10 years ago
In the ground for at least three years, others four. You know that's something to think about - the rhizomes are NOT above the ground. At least I don't think so, I'll check tomorrow. When I first buy them at the nursery the rhizomes are not above the soil in the pots either.

This could be the problem because I realize that is the proper way to plant them and I always do that when dividing and transplanting my older clumps. Should I lift them all (the non-bloomers) and replant? or with age will they naturally do that on their own - rhizomes come to the top I mean.
hosenemesis
10 years ago
Each plant should send up a bloom stalk, then die and produce two or more new rhizomes that will bloom the following year.

Some of the new varieties may have been hybridized in areas with different climates than yours and the irises may not do well as a result. Irises that do great in Minnesota rarely do well for me in California, for instance.

They need six hours of full sun minimum and should not be overcrowded. Most people divide every three years. The rhizomes can be slightly below the soil surface, but no weeds should be allowed to grow over the tops and block the light. I get baby tears and oregano that grow too fast and cause me problems sometimes.

Finally, if you are not satisfied with the amount of bloom, toss them! Who needs a variety that won't bloom well? If I don't get great bloom by the third year I get rid of the iris.

By the way, there is no way to force an iris bloom, so the two new fans you see in the nursery can are just the new plants set out by the blooming rhizome. That should mean two stalks the next year. Good luck!

Renee
organic_kitten
10 years ago
But do try them in the ground first. Mine won't bloom if the rhizomes aren't showing. Not one bud do I get here.
kay
Sandi_W
10 years ago
In NC my iris bloomed and multiplied like crazy. I brought quite a few to MS with me and planted June 2012. They look healthy, but just sitting there. They haven't bloomed or multiplied. It's disappointing I know.
ianna
10 years ago
so strange. I have the same problems. My beautiful salmon iris just gave 1 bloom despite having grown large and have spread out.

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