There is a group of irises that I didn't get around to removing the bloomstalks from this spring, and with the billion rains we have had this year those stalks are slimey/rotty and also the rhizomes. I would say it is the first priority in iris care in a wet year. Average years I have noticed some of this, but it doesn't seem to be a do or die thing. On the other hand, my daylilies are doing wonderfully with all the rain!

Yup ! Same here! Those that I couldn't get to, or forgot, didn't just 'dry up" ,as they normally do, but started to rot! Also, any 'spent" leaves, the ones at the outside of the fan, that yellow a bit and sag to the ground, also open up an area that traps water . Normal years, they just dry up and fall off, but this year, they are rotting off, and taking the next leaf ,or two, with them!...Arlyn

When digging some for giveaways I have often gotten wet when the fans are turned upside down in carrying them. Definite water storage areas subject to damage of various sorts. Have found bugs busily eating away at the rhizomes below such stems or other areas making them subject to bacterial rot. So definitely more care required than in a drier year.

Yup -- I dug a few rhizomes this weekend for my sister to take home with her -- and one of the mother rhizomes broke open with soft rot, and there were little white worms in there, eating away. Ewwwwwww............. Of course, this was in Iris Lane where I had such damage this year.

It wasn't borers, though, thankfully!!

Do you know what they were Mary Ann?! I'm with you on the Ewwwwwww..... factor.

If you have "picnic bugs" (actually Four spotted Sap beetles) in your area(and it sounds like you do !), the "little white worms, are probably it's larval stage. They (the picnic bugs) are the insects I see "working" the rotted areas in the iris (and swarming around the compost pile, and eating my raspberries, and....you get the picture!), feeding on the 'fermenting" juices....and laying their eggs ! Some places they are called "beer bugs", because beer is something that draws them fast, at a picnic...because of the fermented aroma. They are small, oval, shiny black, like patent leather, 4 little yellowish orange spots on their back, about 3/16-1/4 inch long,and bite like they weigh 100 pounds, with big teeth! Like you said, better than borers, which, through their "eating", allow rot to start........these guys only show up on rotting vegetation, over ripe fruit, etc......better, but not much!....Arlyn

Thanks, Arlyn. I don't think I have any of those. They sound awful.

Goodness. You make me want to set up a protective dome over my gardens!!!

Best to cut bloomstalks when all the flowers have finished. I expect problems this year, especially on the TBs as I have not been able to do so. (sorry red line, bloomstalks IS one word).

Lucy -- the red lines only show up on your copy when you're typing -- they don't show up on the finished post. And it's OK -- we all know that bloomstalks is one word (and the infamous red line just showed up on my post!)

After checking all the irises I find that the bloomstalks I cut off a few inches from the ground to bring inside have not rotted. Don't know if this is a good enough substitute for cutting off at the very bottom or not. Most of the irises that had the bloomstalks snapped off early have survived the rains. I will have to remember to do them as soon as possible from now on.