After planting Iris Rhizomes as explained in The Stately Iris, new bloom stalks will come up along the roots and be exactly as the original flower. In about 2 or 3 years they will be crowded and you will want to divide the rhizomes. It is best to do this one to two months after the bloom season, in August or September. They can be divided in the spring as well but may not bloom. Soon, you’ll have so many you’ll need to share them with friends.
There are many different varieties of Iris but they can be broken down into 3 major types:
Bearded irises include any with the name bearded in them and are characterized by a beard like crest that runs along the center of the petals. They include dwarf varieties all the way to very tall types.
The Crested iris has a cocks' comb-like crest on the lower petals.
The beardless group includes Siberians, Spurias, Louisianas, Pacific Coast Natives (do well in bogs) , and Japanese. They do not have bearded falls but can have crests.
The above are all rhizomatous irises, which means they have the common rhizome. There are other irises that come from bulbs. These are called bulbous irises, which love hot, dry climates and mild winters.
Irises can be decimated by the iris borer, Macronocutua onusta. The adult of this is a dull brown colored moth, which can be found flying around your irises. The stage that has to be dealt with is the caterpillar stage. This caterpillar is pink tinged with a brown head. They are about 1 and ½ inches long. The borer will chew small pin holes in the leaves. As they mature they work their way down the leaf and eventually move into the rhizome and will hollow it out. The eggs must be destroyed to control this pest. All leaves and debris must be cleaned out and even the good rhizomes left should be destroyed. Start all over again with new rhizomes.
Irises can also be plagued by a fungus called Didymellina macrospora that appears toward the end of the season on the upper portion of the leaves. If plants are crowded, shaded, or the weather is wet - spots will appear earlier in the season. Dark brown spots will appear and then the leaves will turn yellow. The spots will enlarge into lesions up to ½ inch long with a reddish brown border. All old leaves must be discarded.
Iris rust is another fungus, Puccinia iridis . This causes small oblong red or dark brown powdery spots surrounded by a yellow margin. These spots can be on leaves or stems and may kill the plant. Remove and destroy infected plant parts.
Irises come in all colors in shades of pink, blue, lilac, purple, yellow, orange, black, and white. They truly come in a rainbow of colors. Although the bloom period is short they are very much worth the little bit of time and small amount of trouble it takes to grow them.
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