Friday

A-Z Garden Tips: Irises Cannot Be Inhumed



Irises are fancy, frilly flowers that light up the garden with perennial flair. After they bloom, their strong green spear-like leaves continue to add interest and filler.

But here’s a tip about irises.

They will not bloom, if their rhizomes are buried. What is a rhizome? It’s the base portion of the plant that sends the roots downward and the leaves and stems upwards. An Iris rhizome looks a lot like a basic potato, although its shape can differ, particularly if it has grown and multiplied.

The rhizome must be at least partially exposed to sunlight, if the Iris is to bloom.

We learned this the hard way, many years ago. I planted tons of irises in my garden. I tended them carefully and wondered why they didn’t bloom more profusely. Then I heard about the rhizomes needing sunlight.

My garden had been generously mulched. And, you guessed it. The mulch covered the Iris rhizomes.

That no longer happens. Now we enjoy Bearded Irises, Japanese Irises, and several additional varieties of Iris.

Iris in Purple
Public domain


NOTE:  This blogger has no affiliation with any product/s mentioned in this post and received no remuneration from the manufacturer/s or product promoter/s for this post.


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