Irises don't get "played out" in general terms. Your irises most likely didn't bloom because you planted them too deeply AND because you disturbed their root systems right before bloom season. Even if you had transplanted them last summer instead of this spring, you still may not have had much bloom this year because it sometimes takes irises a full year or longer to settle into a new location before resuming their bloom cycle.

By all means replant your older irises at the proper depth right now. They will reward you with bloom -- if not next year, then most likely the year after. They're worth the effort and the patience while they root in and get established in your garden.

You can read more about the most common causes and solutions for non-bloom in bearded irises in the FAQs (link at top of forum page).

Happy irising,

Laurie

Judging by your name and zone, you wouldn't happen to live in Bloomington, Illinois, would you? If you do, right now is a great time to replant those iris. If you need some local help, there's the Northern Illinois Iris Society. Let me know if you want more info.

Sincerely,
Carlos
Chicago, Illinois

Brighton Park Iris

If it were me, I would be mighty curious to see what the iris blooms turn out to be. If you plant near the surface they will bloom, and they take so little care you really cant go wrong with them. Just make sure they have enough sun, otherwise they will just have leaves. They do not need full sun, but a few hours maybe 4, would help.
Laetitia

Dear Bloomingtoninbloom: I agree with other writers: trust your sense of adventure and curiosity: take the very best bits of the old irises and replant at the correct height - with the rhizome about half in, half out of the soil. Make sure you have good dirt. See what happens. What can it hurt? The old irises are not available commercially any more, you might find this one is something you really like.

The iris hadn't bloomed for many years before you dug them up because they needed to be divided. Now that you've done that, and once they're planted at the correct depth, they may still take a year or even two to bloom. After that they will bloom forever as long as they are divided once the rhizomes get crowded, generally every 3-5 years depending on the fertility of the soil.

Just wanted to post a follow up. Finally the old irises are starting to bloom!

Although I planted around 40, 9 have put out buds. They seem to be a pale creamy violet colored variety, not as vibrant as many of the irises I see in catalogs and online. Ironically enough, the irises I bought from SchreinerÂs are really deeply colored. Although they arenÂt blooming this year --IÂm assuming that I should be seeing a "bud stalk" by now-- hopefully by next year they will.

Since the SchreinerÂs irises are all "black" cultivars (Before the Storm, Anvil of Darkness, etc.) IÂm hoping that the contrasting colors next to each other wonÂt look too jarring or garish. Any suggestions of what colors would work well with my "black" irises?

Hooray! Next year you should have an abundance of bloom! In the future you may want to cycle your rhizomes so you will always have some in bloom. I always take out about 1/3 and divide and replant and give away each year after blooming. I only take out the biggest and most crowded rhizomes. This leaves space for the smaller ones to fully mature and bloom on next year. They say to wait awhile after blooming to do this, I usually do it about mid June. Any color will be nice with the pale blue and blacks. Mix in some pinks and yellows and whites.

The primary purpose of "black" irises, in my opinion, is to add drama and contrast to the garden. I think it would be a mistake to try to underplay their impact by planting with the intent to be less "jarring". Go ahead, be jarring! Plant blacks next to whites, yellows, and pinks. It will make all of them POP in the garden landscape.

Laurie

Also, Irises bloom at different times, so you might be in for a few pleasant surprises for about the next month depending on what you have as "unknowns" and when they bloom.

I photograph mine with a digital camera as they bloom, transfer the image to my Mac's iPhoto and label it with it's name if I have it; because the photo is also identified with the date the photo was taken I will know what time in the spring each blooms.

Last year I bought "black" irises too and was also wondering how to effectively use them in the garden. My thanks to those who answered your question on that subject.