Ruffles, I hope you can get your head out of the paint can long enough to see this post! I was out cleaning up some of my yard and I was thinking of you. I believe you told me that the root of the iris should be exposed to sunlight, so I was out clearing away all the dead leaves and other plant matter that was covering my irises out front. They still had some green leaves that were scraggly and long, so I trimmed those to make it look neater; kind of like a haircut. I got more irises too! I swear there's more there than I had last year -- do they spread?
I'm so excited to see them coming up! They were so beautiful last spring. If you have any other iris tips, I'd be happy to hear them.
Yes! They definitely spread. They like being established which is when you have your most beautiful clumps and best performance. The new fans will be starting. Clear away and remove any bad leaves and old litter. The fine feeder roots are just under the surface of the soil but bone meal or some low nitrogen fertilizer can be scratched into the surface of the soil. Enjoy this time. In 3 or 4 years, your clump will need some thinning.
-- Edited by ruffles on Sunday 29th of March 2009 03:42:02 AM
I'm so excited! I've wanted to grow irises for a long time and had a few failed attempts, but I think I've found a variety and location that can thrive. I have collected these plants over the last few years at the high school plant sale. The first weekend in June, people divide plants from their own gardens and sell them to raise money for landscaping at the high school. Not only are the plants a great buy, I know I'm getting hardy specimens that will thrive in this soil and climate.
My gardening muscles are sore today! I did about 45 minutes of squats while picking up the leaves and putting them in the bin. When I start to plant, it will be my lower back muscles that take the hit. I need some kind of gardening "spring training," LOL!
You both inspired me to take advantage of the sunshine today! After and hour of the"where the heck are my pruning tools" dance that occurs every spring, I got at it with a vengence.
I found that there is one advantage to a long, cold winter here. We usually have such a short dormant season that I never hard prune things properly, and tend to give plants that I'd like out 'one more year' since they already have shoots and will bloom. HA! take that viburnum that I've disliked since we moved in 20 years ago but never had the heart to take out. Queen Elizabeth rose is pruned to about 2 feet instead of leaving all those 6 ft shoots with the new growth. Carpet roses don't really need hard pruning but they had quite a lot of winter damage and will come back stronger.
Now I have to convince hubby that he'd like to help clear up the mounds of debris instead of watching golf(mostly with the dog draped over his lap, both of them resting their eyes!)
-- Edited by meggie on Sunday 29th of March 2009 10:58:22 PM
Who needs a gym when you can garden instead! All that bending, lifting, hauling, digging, weeding and walking finds every muscle in your body. Pulling up bittersweet beats weight lifting any day. My yard has a steep bank in the back which means I also have a full flight of steps. This definitely beats a stair master. When things are blooming it is just so rewarding to be out side in the yard doing something.
People who grow roses are gifted. What ever I've tried never lives long enough to merit pruning. One time I fell in love with a big gorgeous pink beauty. I bought it and gave it to my daughter. She planted it next to her house and it was beautiful for several years. Eventually it was winter killed. .... You and my brother can grow the roses. My goal now (for my non-iris space) is to have a butterfly garden.
A butterfly garden will be gorgeous. Is buddliea (butterfly bush) hardy in your area? It grows wild up the highway to Whistler and is beautiful. I put in several species of echinacea last year and the butterflies loved it, then the winter birds ate the seeds so it was a hit for several seasons.
I think Echinacea is purple coneflower, which is extremely hardy in my backyard. The birds and butterflies LOVE it! I get a lot of goldfinches and they seem to really like any kind of coneflower, especially black-eyed susan. They blend right into those and I don't see them until they fly away.
Our school has a butterfly garden in memory of a little girl from my son's class who died of a degenerative neurological disease a couple of years ago. Her former second grade teacher found a beautiful butterfly bench to put in the middle of it. It gets me a little choked up when I see it, but what a great memorial for Jenny!
I'd like to turn my former vegetable patch/wildflower/weed garden into something more organized, but we're talking a LOT of work! Little by little I've been testing perrenials in that patch. I'm hoping that one day I will achieve something that resembles a garden, LOL!
