I,m about to give up

12 years ago

This is the third year in a row we have had record rains and low temps. Every year I get so excited about seeing the iris bloom then every year I get a kick in the teeth when the rhysomes either rot out or the blooms rot off as they are opening. I cann,t keep buying new iris just to never see them bloom. This year we have had 4 days of no rain so I was able to stop the rot I hope but it was on almost all my new releases from Shreiners so I won,t be seeing any blooms on them. A few of my older iris are starting to bloom but for some reason they are only about 6 inchs tall and the flowers are tiny. I think after a couple of bad years they just didn,t store enough energy to make normal sized blooms. My only hope is that my new bed on a really steep slope with morning to evening sun will drain off fast enough to deal with all our rain.

Comments (4)

newyorkrita
12 years ago
Sorry to learn about your trouble growing iris. But honestly, they are so beautiful in bloom that they are worth the trouble. The planting on the slope for drainage sounds like a good idea.

I like to plant my iris very high to prevent rot and then no mulching. Just use Preen around them to stop the weeds.

I don't know why the blooms would rot off. Have you tried using a systemic fungicide on them? Couldn't hurt.
Nancy
12 years ago
I think your idea of planting on the slope will work too, or in a raised bed. We've had record rains the last 2 years, I don't think I actually lost any rhizomes from it. They do look rather rough right now, but they bloomed well. The worst problem was from heavy winds that blew the stalks over.I've never had the blooms rot off either, occasionally I will have a new plant bloom low in the foliage. Hope your plan works, they are beautiful.
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hosenemesis
12 years ago
I would be so frustrated. It has to end sometime, doesn't it?
madeyna
Original Author
12 years ago
No weeds I keep the beds weed free. I am already on a raised bed and sloped but I am putting the new bed on a really steep slope and I am going to till in alot of sand. When I put those beds in I used a garden blend topsoil so maybe its just to rich for iris. Its just so frustrating because for many years at the old house my iris bloomed year after year and were carefree. Up here I have bent over backwards to get them to thrive and they do right up to blooming time then rot sets in. I am beginning to wonder if part of it is the iris them selves. I have been spending hundreds of dollars a year on new releases and they just don,t seem as hardy. But then again when it rains almost every single day right up to and threw bloom season for several years in a row thats something I cann,t control. I just been bitten by the iris bug big time and its driving me crazy that I am having so much trouble growing them. It has to stop raining sometime doesen,t it?