It was a bd present from my son when he was a child. Blue iris. I dug all the iris that spread up in CA and brought them here to tx, where they havent bloomed once in 10 years. If it isnt the sandy, no nutrients soil, its the too much manure soil i added which resulted in high phosphorus, or the goats got into the yards around the house and ate them off just as they would bloom, or the chickens eat them as soon as green shows.

You're going to have to put a fence around them -- and treat them with a little benign neglect!!

Have fenced area(s) ready, watching for growth. So are chickens.

Good luck! I have the occasional cat dropping a gift but nothing else. Not even the return of the starling that plucked a seedling daylily in front of me. Silly bird.

From a beginner 2011, $,? All YES ALL !!! Plants purposely mislabeled. But take your butt to the library, call your county extension reps. Sometimes you can work out something to remedy this unethical use of knowledge to your advantage. Like get rid of Lantanas.-YES !!!

Mine would be any invasive plant but two on the top of the list Irum Iticulum and Campanula

D

Hmmm... My chickens must be better trained (or I have fewer of them). They'll scratch around the rhizomes, but haven't ever eaten them.

Hang in there, Texaskitty! And if they don't make it -- we have very generous people here who would send you little orphan rhizomes that need a home!

This is a great forum, and you have succeeded in reviving my interest in irises. So anyway, I'm changing my vote for worst plant from daisies to grass burrs

That's right Texaskitty....I'm sure we can help you out!

My chickens are trained to only scratch out weeds and eat bugs! Really, ask anyone one here, they are world famous chickens. And yes I have lake front property in Arizona.

My chickens never ate irises. They were Rhode Island Reds and were good at getting grasshoppers in the garden but never scratched up my seeds or plants. I had a pen around the chicken house but let them out to free range during the day. They alerted me to snakes by making cackling/squawking noises and ate all the ticks. Now that I live with every manner of wildlife I cannot have chickens. I miss them.

Tom, as long as they wear the proper eye gear and there is no management/union issues, you are right. Best chickens around!

Tom forgot to mention they only eat the bugs on the daily approved list.

Organically, cage free, free range raised bugs.... Of course if they were in Santa Cruz they'd all be on a vegan diet.

LOL!!!

Zencat said:Tom forgot to mention they only eat the bugs on the daily approved list.

Of course, and since my chickens can read, I just post a list of the daily special each morning. Of course, they are off on vacation during the winter.