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when and how to prune bearded iris

travellbag's picture

when and how to prune bearded iris (post #17881)

travellbag on Thu, 09/02/2010 - 12:04 (updated 09/02/10 - 09:20) 
in

looking for a photo of a pruned iris to show my gardener.  Last year he pruned them to the ground.  They didn't do well this year, not sure it was because spring was cold and wet in northern Calif. or because of pruning.

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Ruth's picture

not an authority on this topic, but... (post #17881, reply #1 of 2)

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Ruth in reply to travellbag [original] on Thu, 09/02/2010 - 13:50

I've never heard of pruning irises. I usually cut off the flower stalks after blooming, and that's that. The foliage looks pretty good until frost (in Connecticut).

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KimmI's picture

Pruning Iris (post #17881, reply #2 of 2)

by KimmI in reply to travellbag [original] on Fri, 09/03/2010 - 03:13

There is no real good reason to cut the foliage of Iris back that far. Sometimes people will cut the ragged tops back a bit, and when transplanting Iris it is a goo didea to cut the foliage back by about half (that reduces the roots need to supply moisture and nutrients that they cannot until better established.) in a fan shape.

The sign of a good gardener is brown knees, not a green thumb.