How to Plant Iris

Find a site for your Iris where the plants will get at least a half day of full sun. Iris need good drainage; the rhizomes will rot if the soil stays too wet.

Iris plants are rhizomes with roots and shoots. The roots are always obvious even though the shoots my not have popped out yet. Plant the roots down, below the surface leaving the very top of the rhizome close to the surface. Burying them too low is likely to cause them to rot and not produce the beautiful flowers next spring.

Plant the rhizomes at least 4-6 inches apart and leave a foot or so from the edge of borders, walls, and other plants. Planting irises in clumps of a dozen or more of 4-6 inches apart will make the most of the display in future years.

Plan on digging up your iris beds every 3-4 years. Separate the clumps so that you can carefully break off the best of the ends with roots and shoots for replanting. Irises multiply so easily, you can give away some or make new iris beds with the extra.

Be sure to break or cut off the old sections. They may have tiny holes from little worms that bore into the dead sections. Don't worry, just cut off the bad and old sections, keeping only the new ends with fresh leaf buds and roots. Plant these just under the surface (root spread down) a few inches apart. Next year they will be lovely!