My mother-in-law thought it was common knowledge that you cut back iris right after bloom. If they grew back very quickly, they got cut back again. I tried to tell her that she shouldn't, everyone here on the forums said not to cut back unless they looked really bad. Of course, she had the nicest iris I've seen, much nicer foliage than mine. I don't think hers bloomed any better than mine, but certainly didn't seem to suffer. If I weren't so lazy, I would do it myself. My iris look horrific after that early warm/cold spells this spring, & now drought. My personal opinion, at this point they are dormant anyway, & will start greening up again in the fall when it cools.

I pull off or cut off all ugly foliage. I can't stand it.
Sometimes I cut irises back to six inches or so just to neaten up the garden.

I don't go as short as three inches.

If I was in your shoes I would cut them back. Who wants to look at that mess? You can cut in an inverted 'V' shape if the center leaves still look okay. I just divided and cut back several clumps of my irises, and they are doing fine.

Renee

thx peeps..

at the link.. is what a fanned iris looks like ...

3 to 6 inches..

but you can just do that to a clump in ground.. you do not need to dig them up individually and do it ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Everyone here in SD cuts their iris back to about six inches not too long after they bloom. Well, except for me. Certainly they are all out with snips now working on it, (if they do anything at all.) Most of the iris are historic around here, passed down from woman to woman over time, so they are the tough ones. We often times don't get rain much in the summer, and iris do fine. At my other house I had them in a xeriscape which wasn't watered unless it was 90 and didn't rain for a month, and they did fine. So cut away, I say.

Just do it right in the ground, Ken. You don't have to dig and divide. My father used to use a lawnmower.
Renee