We cut back Siberian foliage in Oct. but unless a leaf is diseased don't cut them on the bearded. the leaves are growing food. the Siberian leaves can be a mess in the spring unless cut back. Our show is in the MTB stage. We were at the AIS convention in NJ last week & I have a whole lot of iris posts to see. We are talkers.

I try not to do this much work any more with the irises; your routine sounds exhausting!

yadah_tyger said:This is my next favorite time of the year. I set up my outside work area with a table that is a little taller then waist high. I then dig up each clump and bring it to the table. There I cut all blooms stalks all the way down to the rhizome. I remove all dead or older fans, exposing the rhizome to more air. I do any necessary surgery and sprinkle with comet with bleach. I then replant the clump and give the mother rhizome a good rinsing with MKP solution. In doing this I also get to thinning if needed. This year there is more urgent need in thinning due to Iris Virus!!! I'm not at all where I want to be in the process due to the very excessive rain. I really dislike working in mud but not much choice.
It is also great therapy for RA. The chemo and steroid treatments aren't working so a good workout in the garden seems to help. I can usually get about 5 miles in equivalent steps in each day and hopefully by the end of June I'll be done, found room for the newbies, have one new bed built and lose 15 or 20 pounds.

Blessings

Yup. While I applaud your efforts, John -- there is no way I could do all of that. I have my hands full just cleaning and Preening -- plus digging and thinning overgrown clumps. It can take me all summer.............

What are some of the best iris in your garden this year? The showy ones but also those that are just a all round good garden plant.

I love those that just seem to want to thrive and not limp along. Your input is appreciated. I hate that the iris season is over, but now I am on to the daylily and hosta buzz. Heading to Evansville today for the dl show!

Teresa

Now the day lilies take over. All our day lilies are NOID but we love them. I'll post some photos later.

But I think our favorite iris were Cloud Ballet, Final Episode, Dusky Challenger and Darcy's Choice. They just kept blooming away.

Blessings

Oh, John
I have some Noids too but take a look at my named dls
http://garden.org/lists/view/b...

I love anything that has a pretty bloom

Wow!! I guess you do. Answering Angels sure looks good. Very nice collection.

Blessings

My daylilies are in bloom too. I have some named ones and some NOID's -- doesn't matter -- they're all beautiful and I'm so glad to have them because it would be a pretty drab landscape after the Irises are done.

Oh -- except for the Hydrangeas............


and an enthusiastic canna.............


First-time bloom on Wild Horses.......


Easter Lily blooming in front of my new cobalt blue birdbath -- pink Gloriosa lily in the background.........

Now that the show is over clean up the stalks and keep removing spent leaves. Water during drought conditions and weed. Hope for rebloom. Move some to new beds and divide crowded clumps. Share the ones that you do not have room to replant. Watch for problems and take steps to reduce damage to the plants. Order new or replacement irises. Make new growing areas. If you have pods look forward to seeds and the challenge that brings. Make new lists. Enjoy your garden and all the blooms from other plants. Update your iris files and maps. Sort photos and keep in computer folders for reference and enjoyment. Dream of the future and what next years iris season will bring. Keep posting your iris progress/development on this forum.

Thornbird is my top choice this year. All around good grower, low rot, interestingly beautiful.

bluegrassmom said:What are some of the best iris in your garden this year? The showy ones but also those that are just a all round good garden plant.

I love those that just seem to want to thrive and not limp along. Your input is appreciated. I hate that the iris season is over, but now I am on to the daylily and hosta buzz. Heading to Evansville today for the dl show!

Teresa

granny's garden: Yep, everything you mentioned! I am moving some of mine around to make better color combinations, starting new clumps of three rhizomes. These will grow outward and I will I will add to the perimeter and cut out any crowded rhizomes. This is my new preferred growing method and I will be doing more of it now as I do all of your above list. Don't forget to tag all the divisions!!! That is my downfall.

Digging a new bed, or should say removing sod for a new bed. Have about 5 feet to go. It will be roughly 6 feet x 25 feet. Really need to get to the dividing and general bed cleanup in the existing beds too!

When the bloom season is over it is summer bloom season. Lilies, datura, daliahs, roses, etc..

Watch your seed pods.

In between all the items mentioned above...

its cherry and raspberry season!!! so you can pick cherries and make cherry/raspberry preserves.

Plan summer outings, clean the garage, sort through the kids closets, learn a new craft, fix the bikes, swim lessons, music lessons, build that pergola...
(Read The Good Book)

There are so many things to choose from.

😉😉.

Critters are getting most of my fruit again this year. My cherry plum was virtually stripped clean over two days.. They're working over my pluots now. Squirrels and birds..probably other things at night.. I'm ready to sit out in the orchard in a rocking chair with my pellet gun in my lap.

Henhouse said:Critters are getting most of my fruit again this year. My cherry plum was virtually stripped clean over two days.. They're working over my pluots now. Squirrels and birds..probably other things at night.. I'm ready to sit out in the orchard in a rocking chair with my pellet gun in my lap.

That would be a fun activity!!!
My bird and field mice problem went way down in my orchard when I got three outdoor cats.

Critters figure out pretty fast which locations have predators and which do not.

Birds will be at my old growth figs soon. They don't even wait until they are ripe. The scarecrow sprinkler works pretty well against them, but all the extra water caused the figs to swell and split. Catch 22 for sure!