Tomorrow (Sunday) it's supposed to be up into the low 60s and sunny, so I am going to plant the above mentioned bulbs and etc.. This afternoon while I was outside hauling rocks, my Blue Tick Hound dog, Bonnie Belle, got one of the bags off the table, and chewed it up. I don't know if she ate any of the bulbs, but I only found three. The kittens may have batted them under the sofa. Don't know where the rest ended up. That concerned me, but she didn't get sick. Man, there was dirt all over the carpet and floor! She likes to chew up plastic bags. She must have had one swell time. What a mess!

Hi Debbie, I don't worry to much about planting sibs to deep. I suppose it could be possible. However, I have had a few that quit blooming the last couple of years and I have also divided them. They still haven't bloomed, and this is the second year for them. I am thinking it may be our weather, since it seems to be changing from year to year. For me this year it is hot and dry here. Last year we had storm after storm with hail and winds. I am just leaving mine as I am redoing my garden in the next couple of years so they will be moved to fresh well ammended soil. Maybe that will kick start them back into blooming. For me it is just a couple that is doing this....the rest are blooming fine. Maybe add a little compost or composted manure next spring and make sure they are getting enough water. See if that helps....if not well.....I guess shovel prune and try another variety. Sierra

My experience is that Siberian irises are pretty tough and will withstand all kinds of abuse. (I had a garbage bag of some from a friend that sat all summer without much water or attention and didn't get planted until late fall and is doing just fine.) I would think that you might want to mulch them to reduce frost heaving if you can so any new roots starting to form don't get torn out, but otherwise I don't see any real issues.

Interesting about the uses of Iris root. I never knew this, but apparently you're correct, NHBabs. According to this, it is an ingredient in paint, enamel and mugs: https://yppedia.puzzlepirates.com/Iris_root and: In ancient Greece and Rome, Orris Root was largely used in perfumery, and Macedonia, Elis and Corinth were famous for their unguents of Iris. http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/i/irises08.html I'm not much a perfume person, so trying to make my own isn't on my list of things to do, but I do love the scent of the monarda (bee balm) seedheads. I have heard they can be brewed as tea and always meant to try it. (For a while we had vast quantities of chamomile growing wild on the property and I used to cut and dry the plants and combine them with dried mint that grows alongside our brook to make tea.) My experience also is that Siberian iris spread considerably over the course of years, but whether or not they do this via seeds or root is unknown to me. Maybe both?