My Tiger Honey iris has finished blooming and has produced this. Should I do something with it?

Oh Jan -- that's funny --

Sorry for laughing -- you reminded me of my early Iris days when I wondered the same thing!!

That is a seed pod. If an Iris is happy, like most plants it will try to reproduce. This is what Iris hybridizers are trying to get -- and likely what a busy bee produced for you. If you're interested in propagation, you let that pod dry on the stalk. When it is ready, it will split and there may be Iris seeds inside. Properly cared for, they will produce little baby Iris plants that will bloom in two or three years. It's a bit of a job to get the seeds to sprout -- but could be well worth it. And we have people here on the list who can tell you how to get best results in that area.

Congratulations on your seed pod!!!

On a side note will trade you for some of those seeds.Mine grew best when I winter sow them.


http://garden.org/ideas/view/v...

If you don't want them to form, you have to dead head or pop off the spent blooms - making sure that you get all of the blossom off. And hopefully not destroying a new bud in the process.

Thank you Mary Ann, for the i.d. and clear instructions. And Hazel Eyes, thank you for the link to Winter Sowing.
My area of CA does get cold enough to encourage dormancy, sometimes. Maybe I'll create a little iris nursery!

I'm familiar with my roses creating "hips" and such, but I never had an iris do this before. Or at least
I never noticed anything this big.
I'm wondering, Snork, if letting it develop detracts at all from the iris' strength for next year.

The seed pod does not over tax the plant in its development of increases for next year.

Good to know. I have a giant bee pod on both Dazzling Sarah and Thornbird. They were pretty big before I noticed them and I did not have the heart to just stop something that seemed so natural.... nutty, I know. But every time I see them I wonder if I am sacrificing next years bloom. Especially since I do not have the knowledge, space or talent to grow irises from seed. Just recently I thought about having the seeds mature and fall into this particular iris bed where every plant is marked and controlled. hmmmmm..........

Thanks for that info, Greg. Bonnie. I think it might be fun to see what the blessed bees hath wrought!

Good for you, Jan. Be prepared though -- some pods have up to a hundred seeds in them. And once in awhile -- even more..............

You can tie a fine net bag around the pod (or panty hose) to catch the seeds.

We have a small greenhouse. If there are seeds, can I just start them in a six-pack or a flat - like other plants? The fine net bag suggestion sounds like a good idea! I like the possibility of propagating irises from seed.

after they spend time in the refrigerator, sure. There is alot of documentation out there on how to do this.