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Jul 28, 2015 10:53 AM CST
Name: Arlyn
Whiteside County, Illinois (Zone 5a)
Beekeeper Region: Illinois Irises Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Yeah, it's all depending on cultivar, and "position in the garden", as to how soon they need dividing. Some can go "forever", before they get too crowded, and are almost 'self regulating", and others, like they said, every other year isn't too often.
As to cutting the fans....yeah, in the fall / early winter, I like to cut things back to about 6".....I use the string trimmer.....anything 'newly planted', I just "leave be" until spring, as I don't want to chance popping them out of the ground. My thoughts are ,the tree leaves, trash, etc. that blows around all winter, will "blow right through" the beds, and not "stick" there, acting as a mulch. But I don't cut fans until the "growing season" is over...plants need leaves to grow, so why would you rob them of leaves in the middle of growing season ?
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Jul 28, 2015 11:16 AM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Come to think of it, I never cut a green healthy leaf off- those stay on no matter what time of year. If a leaf is doing any photosynthesizing at all, I want it to keep on keeping on.
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Jul 28, 2015 1:06 PM CST
Name: Patrick
Toms River, New Jersey (Zone 7a)
Dog Lover Irises Lilies Region: New Jersey Orchids Region: Pennsylvania
Roses
Well, All of my Iris are newly planted rhizomes this year, so I doubt I will have to cut them back in the fall and certainly won't have to divide them next year. I only have one Iris plant that is 2-years old that needs to be trimmed back, and probably next year it will need divided - I believe it's name is "Innocent Star".
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Jul 28, 2015 1:11 PM CST
Name: Celia
West Valley City, Utah (Zone 7a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Photography Irises Plant Identifier Hummingbirder Birds
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Cat Lover Butterflies Enjoys or suffers cold winters
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Jul 28, 2015 1:14 PM CST
Name: Mary Ann
Western Kentucky (Zone 7a)
Bee Lover Irises Hummingbirder Hostas Keeps Horses Farmer
Daylilies I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Container Gardener Cat Lover Region: Kentucky Birds
It's a beauty. Mine died............... Sad
Thoughts become things -- choose the good ones. (www.tut.com)
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Jul 28, 2015 1:19 PM CST
Name: Celia
West Valley City, Utah (Zone 7a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Photography Irises Plant Identifier Hummingbirder Birds
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Cat Lover Butterflies Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Sad face!
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Jul 28, 2015 1:22 PM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
Mary Ann, was it a casualty of rot?
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Jul 28, 2015 1:57 PM CST
Name: Mary Ann
Western Kentucky (Zone 7a)
Bee Lover Irises Hummingbirder Hostas Keeps Horses Farmer
Daylilies I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Container Gardener Cat Lover Region: Kentucky Birds
I'm not sure, Neal -- it was one of the casualties of Iris Lane last year (2013/14). It either got frost heave and spent the winter with its roots exposed, or it got buried in the soil that eroded in the rainy spring that followed. It was well-established -- I'd had it for many years. Shrug! Sad
Thoughts become things -- choose the good ones. (www.tut.com)
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Jul 28, 2015 2:41 PM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
That's particularly disturbing to happen to an established clump!
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Jul 28, 2015 4:10 PM CST
Name: Linnea
Southern Maine, border 5b/6a (Zone 5b)
Composter Daylilies Garden Art Irises Organic Gardener Permaculture
Plant and/or Seed Trader Winter Sowing
I stripped the outer casing off a Japanese iris seed that had been in the fridge wet bagged for 3 months. That got potted. I have more if I like how it works.
Don't make fear based decisions.
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Jul 28, 2015 8:58 PM CST
Name: Leslie
Durham, NC (Zone 8a)
Garden Photography Cat Lover Irises Region: North Carolina Peonies Enjoys or suffers hot summers
Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I do cut back the fans in the fall, but I have mild winters so they tend to grow and grow. For me, cutting them back in the fall keeps the leaves from falling over from bad weather/snow/ice. I don't keep tree leaves or pine needles over the rhizomes over winter any more because the soil stays way too wet. And I leave potted iris out with the rest of the iris in the beds. Ice storms are the biggest threat here to iris.
"The chimera is a one time happenstance event where the plant has a senior moment and forgets what it is doing." - Paul Black
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Jul 28, 2015 9:33 PM CST
Name: Lucy
Tri Cities, WA (Zone 6b)
irises
Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener Irises Region: Northeast US Region: United Kingdom Region: United States of America
Enjoys or suffers cold winters
We cut back the foliage on the Siberian irises in Oct. They can really get tangled with each other & harder to do the cutting in spring. We don't cut back leaves on bearded irises letting them do increases.
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Jul 29, 2015 5:02 AM CST
Name: Patrick
Toms River, New Jersey (Zone 7a)
Dog Lover Irises Lilies Region: New Jersey Orchids Region: Pennsylvania
Roses
Lestv said:I do cut back the fans in the fall, but I have mild winters so they tend to grow and grow. For me, cutting them back in the fall keeps the leaves from falling over from bad weather/snow/ice. I don't keep tree leaves or pine needles over the rhizomes over winter any more because the soil stays way too wet. And I leave potted iris out with the rest of the iris in the beds. Ice storms are the biggest threat here to iris.


That was the other topic I wanted to address, and I'm glad you brought it up Leslie - the issue of using pine needles. I was going to order pine needles to put over the iris beds this fall/winter. I know they recommend them for Louisiana Iris, but I wasn't sure they were recommended for TB Iris.
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Jul 29, 2015 5:10 AM CST
Name: Greg Hodgkinson
Hanover PA (Zone 6b)
Garden Photography Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Region: Japan Region: Pennsylvania
I have had pine needles in my yard naturally and they do a wonderful job at helping protect from heaving and keeping my pots warm and cozy. Unfortunetly, I have had to cut three of the trees down due to their excessive leaning before they decided to fall on their own.

I also have a neighboor who has a large number of oak trees and the wind pushes them to me where they over winter. They "protect" my driveway bed nicely as well.
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Jul 29, 2015 8:48 AM CST
Name: Celia
West Valley City, Utah (Zone 7a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Photography Irises Plant Identifier Hummingbirder Birds
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Cat Lover Butterflies Enjoys or suffers cold winters
I remember a day long ago when DH asked me if I wanted him to rake all the leaves out of my gardens. I asked him why he was raking at all. He said so the yard looks nice. I told him to mow the lawn with the leaves on it. It good for the gra
Avatar for crowrita1
Jul 29, 2015 9:03 AM CST
Name: Arlyn
Whiteside County, Illinois (Zone 5a)
Beekeeper Region: Illinois Irises Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I use pine straw on the beardless area, but never mulch anything else.....I either "pin" them down, or set a brick on them, if I think heaving might be a problem, though. With our typically wet winters, and springs....I don't want any of the bearded to have anything on them. The pine straw (and oak leaves, too) will, on decomposing, make the soil a little "acid"....not much...enough to "help" the beardless, in my case, and really not enough to bother the bearded, as our soil is very *sweet*. I know one local lady who mulches her bearded, every year, with wheat straw......applies it after the ground freezes, and removes it in the spring, just after the frost *goes out*....and she seems to not have many problems, so, again.....whatever works for you, I guess Shrug!
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Jul 29, 2015 9:13 AM CST
Name: Bonnie Sojourner
Harris Brake Lake, Arkansas (Zone 7a)
Magnolia zone
Region: United States of America Region: Arkansas Master Gardener: Arkansas Irises Plant and/or Seed Trader Moon Gardener
Garden Ideas: Master Level Dragonflies Bulbs Garden Art Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Gardens in Buckets
If I don't get the oak leaves up in time they will overwinter in the iris beds. if I get them up before very cold weather the irises get nothing on them. They have been covered with ice for days at a time and it has not bothered them at all.
Thro' all the tumult and the strife I hear the music ringing; It finds an echo in my soul— How can I keep from singing?
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Jul 29, 2015 9:16 AM CST
Name: Celia
West Valley City, Utah (Zone 7a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Photography Irises Plant Identifier Hummingbirder Birds
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Cat Lover Butterflies Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Ice is an excellent insulator. I leave it on everything and have had no damage.
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Jul 29, 2015 3:39 PM CST
Name: Lucy
Tri Cities, WA (Zone 6b)
irises
Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener Irises Region: Northeast US Region: United Kingdom Region: United States of America
Enjoys or suffers cold winters
We get the pine needles from our neighbor's trees, but while we used to do the entire garden, no as John gets older he just does the new plants. those are scattered around, however.
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Jul 29, 2015 3:50 PM CST
(Zone 9b)
Region: California Garden Ideas: Level 1
Reuse the packing excelsior as your insulator.

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