A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum bearded iris

I've searched and searched the archives but I can't really find an answere to what I need to know: My dear neighbor Alma passed away two years ago and she was a fantastic flower gardener. We have a creek running through our back yard wher she had planted a gorgeous bearded iris. The year after she passed away it stopped blooming, more than likely from overcrowding of the "oh so prolific" crocosmia that was planted there. I cleared the bed of most of the crocosmia ( or so I thought) and it finally started shooting up leaves but they're tiny tiny tiny..and since I'm not the best gardener and didn't pay enough attention when my grampa taught me about irises, I dug part of the rhizome up. I'm hoping I can replant the smaller ones and still see them at least grow leaves this year, however....I've never ever seen soooooooooooooooooooooo many roots on a rhizome like these ones have. They're so tangled and there are so many of them that I wonder if I should give them a trim? Anybody have a clue on that one? Will it kill them if I do?

You can trim the roots back a bit, it shouldn't hurt them. Don't cut them all off. Iris don't need to be planted deep either. You just want to put the roots in the dirt, you don't want to cover the whole tuber with dirt.

Donna

No do not trim. I would plant as soon as spring comes in your area or put in a large pot.

I sorta think if she planted them by a stream they are not bearded iris. Are you sure they are bearded and not Japanese Iris or Siberian. If they are Japanese Iris they will not bloom if they do not have enough moisture also.

Japanese (They sort of look like a wide skirt)



Bearded Iris (They look like a beard hanging down the front)

i was thinking the same thing cinta,
i think bearded iris have wider leaves than the siberian , japanese.

Why I do not think they are Bearded Iris is if you plant them in a creek they would rot. Also, my bearded iris do not have roots that deep. But those Japanese planted in the pond go on forever. LOL!!!

Let me clarify...I know the difference between japanese, siberian and bearded iris....these are not planted IN the creek, but on the bank and they are definately bearded iris. I experimented with four of them: I replanted one with all the roots attached further along the bank, it's doing fine after a week
I trimmed the other three and moved them to a different location and the leaves seem to be longer than the one I simply replanted without trimming. This weekend ( since I'm working out of state and only come home on the weekends) I will begin measuring growth rate of the two different specimens. I took pictures with a throw-away camera of the roots on the rhizomes, which I will pick up tomorrow and post next weekend. The reason I asked if I should trim is because I have never seen roots like that on bearded iris...thanks for the input everybody :)

:blsh: oops! i thought you ment they were planted IN the creek :ding: let us know how your experment gose,

double oops!!! I guess when you said "We have a creek running through our back yard wher she had planted a gorgeous bearded iris"

I thought you meant she planted them in the creek in your backyard.

I am sorry I cannot help you. I have never seen long tangly roots on Bearded Iris only the Japanese Iris in water or moist areas. All bearded iris I have had are in dry hot places and the roots are very shallow. That is a mystery. Please post if you find out the name of that Bearded Iris it is.

wonder how long the roots were? ive seen roots on my bearded iris as long as 7 inches give or take a few inches. i just dug a deeperhole and stuffed them in keeping the rimzone on top of the soil. my hubby has mowed mine over in early spring and they all came back with blooms. those are some hardy flowers,

Please keep us informed on how this goes. :thum:

Donna