The iris, also known as the sword lily, takes several years to flower when grown from seed. Therefore, the bulbous rhizomes are usually used for propagation and initial planting in the garden.

Find a location that is as sunny as possible for your iris

Prepare the site for planting

As soon as you have selected the sunniest possible location for the iris in the garden, you should check the condition of the ground on site with a shovel. In a humus-rich and loose soil with a certain amount of lime, the iris needs little care and fertilization to thrive in abundance. You can loosen up a rather loamy subsoil by adding sand and thus prevent waterlogging, which is very dangerous for the iris.

The ideal planting time for the iris

The optimal planting time for the iris is immediately after flowering. Since the flowering time of the iris is between April and September for the various subspecies, the ideal time for planting is in late summer or early autumn. In this way, the rhizomes can grow their fine roots in the surrounding soil at the new location before winter. During the hibernation, the irises must not be covered with mulch (€239.00) like other plants, otherwise they can easily rot.

Rejuvenate old stands by dividing and planting new ones

In particular, the types of irises that are closer to the wild forms with rather small flowers can produce flowers in the same location for many years without special care. However, if the iris no longer blooms despite high levels of sunlight and loose soil, it may be time to divide the rhizomes. To do this, carry out the following steps:

  • carefully digging up the rhizomes in autumn with a suitable digging fork
  • cutting the tubers into fist-sized pieces
  • in the case of strong propagation and selection, preferred selection of the young side shoots
  • not planting too deep in soil loosened with compost

tips and tricks

If you want to plant irises in a rather impermeable soil, you can also use a trick: When planting hills, pile up the earth so that the rhizome is inserted about half or two thirds deep into the mound. However, with this method you have to be careful that the piled up earth is not washed away by the rain.

Category:

Vegetable garden