It has been a wierd year for Irises. I had several varieties that I transplanted last year that sent up a bloom stalk and bloomed, but produced no leaves and no side rhizomes. They just died. One of these are Irises that I've had for almost thirty years. I haven't dug all of them up yet, just in case there are babies there that I can't see -- but it doesn't look good, so go figure.
But Tom is right -- the rhizome that blooms this year is referred to as the *mother* -- and it will never bloom again. It's job is to produce *daughters*, small rhizomes along the sides of the mother and they are the ones that will grow and produce flowers next year, or the year after.
