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Iris Newbie

User
13 years ago

About two years ago someone gave a couple of irises. They were in a small pot with pea gravel and I believe they were in their pond. I'm sorry but I don't know the name of them.

Anyway, I planted them in my garden and there were no flowers last year, just green foliage. I left the foliage on them over the winter. The foliage is now brown but I can see green on the inside. Should I peel off this brown foliage? I would just like to know where to go from here, if someone can please help me. Should I simply throw them away and start all over with new ones from the garden center? I don't know if they will ever bloom. Oh, and I never covered the rhizomes completely with soil.

When is the best time to plant iris bulbs for me? I am in zone 8a, BC. Thanks for helping me.

Comments (8)

  • aquawise
    13 years ago

    Remove the dead leaves. Be patient with them! If they were in a pond they need time to acclimate to soil. They should bloom for you this year. When they do post a pic and someone here will ID them for you. Leave them where they are for now. Exposed Rhizomes are ok. Give them some time before you toss them! they should reward you with flowers.

  • User
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    aquawise ~ thank you very much for your quick response. Awesome, I will leave them there, remove the brown foliage, and be patient. I'm excited to see if they bloom. They are planted on the east side of my house. They get sun until about 3pm. I'm not sure how much sun they need or if I should feed/fertilize them? When do Irises usually bloom?
    Thanks again aquawise.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    13 years ago

    i claim no expertise in iris ...

    but with my mineral sand soil.. i do know that there are at least two diverse types of iris ...

    the bearded iris do rather well in my sand ....

    but there are iris which are basically bog-type plants ... that would not even be worth the effort.. since my sand would never provide enough water to them ...

    since yours were growing IN A POND... most likely you have the iris that need a lot of water ...

    soooo .. until you ID the type of iris you have.. and the soil you have.. and how much water you can provide..

    I THINK ... based on what little knowledge i have ... that the lack of vigor of your plants might have a myriad of explanations beyond the needed patience .... that always works!!! .. but if you have the wrong iris in the wrong setting.. time might not matter ...

    can you describe the flower ... or even better ... a picture..

    or hit the link and see if you can recognize the TYPE ...

    or i am wrong .. lol ...

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • User
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hi Ken,
    Thankyou for your help and the link.
    I have the iris planted in moist soil. I can't really show you a picture of the flower because I've never seen it yet. lol

    I think I'll have to just wait it out like aquawise says. Once it (hopefully) gets a bloom I will post it. Then we can figure out what kind it is. Right now it's just brown foliage, with a bit of green on the inside.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    13 years ago

    but does your soil give the moisture that your iris needs???

    ken

  • User
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I really don't know Ken. The soil is moist. Should it be wetter than moist? We get a lot of rain here in BC, so I'm assuming it should get plenty of moisture.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    13 years ago

    well.. it sounds better than my hot sand.. lol ...

    all i am trying to do. is insure that you have the plant in the right setting .... its no use waiting for vigor.. if it is completely mis-planted ... eh???

    most pond plants.. will not appreciate a dry soil..

    though yours sounds plenty damp ..

    still.. an valid ID wont hurt .. post us some pix when it flowers ...

    good luck

    ken

  • User
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I really appreciate all your help Ken. Keep your fingers crossed. I sure hope it blooms, and if she does, I will most definitely post a pic so we can figure out what kind it is. Thanks again.