No Iris this year... curious

Tue Jun 19, 2007 5:09 pm

Hi,

None of the iris in my garden have bloomed this year

and I'm wondering... why??? :cry:

I'm in New York, USA.. Has anyone else had a similar experience this year? Any ideas why none of the Iris (in very different locations) didn't bloom?

Put together some pictures from last year's Iris blooms... Can't believe that not one of them bloomed this year.. and I have beds with naturalised blue iris that usually go crazy with colour, but this year nothing bloomed... not one.. which is highly unusual I think because they usually are very reliable bloomers.

Anyway... posted what I call.. my ode to the Iris elsewhere... will put it here too.. and crossing fingers that they will come alive again next year.. but t'is odd methinks.

Tue Jun 19, 2007 5:33 pm

SDRGSFG I don't HAVE ANY EITHER!! grrrr. They're my favorite. The first time I noticed them was last year and I loved them. I also planted some th is year and they didn't come up either. It DID take a while to get warm here (New Jersey) but it's quite hot out nowadays.

Wed Jun 27, 2007 2:23 am

I'm having a similar problem, only one or two of my irises bloomed this year

sooo sad But I live in the midwest, so it can't be the same trouble as your having

Wed Jun 27, 2007 4:51 am

...i had a few daffodils this year, but not one of my irises bloomed either :cry:

a few came up...but, no flowers??? :?:

Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:53 am

Nationwide strike by the irises - no one locally here in Colorado had much showing this year either.

Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:03 pm

The case grows curioser and curioser...

Heard from a friend in Central Europe, mind you... only one or two blue iris bloomed in their garden which really surprised them.

Global warming mebbe?

Heard that global warming will make the weeds very happy!

Wonder what happened.

Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:28 pm

I'm from Minnesota. My Irises all bloomed this year. I have a few purple ones and one like the peach colored one in the pictures.

I didn't notice any difference at all over other years. They seemed a little hardier if anything.

Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:00 am

I ran across a picture I took of my peach iris this year so I thought I'd post it. I have only one peach colored Iris which blooms well after my purple ones.

Tue Oct 02, 2007 3:01 am

I found this, which could be some usefull information.

Note the statement about late freezes.

"Killing freezes that are severe enough to damage iris foliage within six to eight weeks prior to normal bloom can abort developing stalks even if the stalks are not yet showing above the foliage."

The weather this year has been weird everywhere. And, since my parents live in NY, I seem to remember hearing something about, a nice thaw, almost spring like wether, and then a late freeze spell at the end of April or early May this year.

If that's the case, your Iris probably won't bloom again til next year (if I read the above quote correctly anyway).

I think there were similar issues throughout the USA this year with the weather.

And because, I am sure you are going to ask, my folks live in Woodridge, near, Monticello, Liberty, and Ellenville.
Sage

Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:08 pm

Thanks for the info Sagedavis. I ran through that checklist of possible problems and since I havent' changed fertilizers and have made sure to give plants enough space and so on and the plants are in different locations and none of them really performed (even the most hardy blue variety), it does seem like the temperature changes might be the most likely reason; would also account for why other people in other regions have noticed that their Iris didn't really bloom. Will definitely keep an eye on this for next year and will actually work to make sure that all the things on the checklist really are up to par. Thanks and ahh.. my brother's right up by Ellenville and I did notice that his blue iris were doing ok... didn't notice any other colours blooming though... will ask him if he remembers.

Nice shot coneflower... glad the iris were good to you this year. Now I am wondering how the weather was in Minnesota during last winter to see if the temperature changes idea holds up. Did you notice if the weather was kind of erratic? Suppose there is little one can do if it is down to the weather, but am still very curious.