Hi, I just started gardening and got interested in bearded irises after rescuing them from a pile in the back of my new house last year. But I have a few questions.
Do they have to have their own flower bed? Or can they be mixed in with other flowers. I started some daisies from seed and was going to make a garden of daisies and irises in a sunny spot that is high up and well drained. If there is any more advice from other iris lovers out there I would really appreciate it! Thank you.
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gibsongirl74
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They can be planted with other plants. Be sure and plant them where the top of the rhizome is barely showing above the dirt but the roots are covered. If you bury the rhizome it will rot. They can take full sun or part sun. I think they would look great with daisies and, even though they don't bloom a long time, they are beautiful when they bloom.
I'm new to this but I want to know if anyone knows how to get rid of the bearded iris?? We bought our house last summer and the previous owners let things go.. And when I say "go" these horrible flowers (my opinion) have an unreal root system and I dug up my yard to get "all" of it but now spring is here and they're popping up EVERYWHERE!Same with those horrid "ditch" lilies that I also dug up and they're back in 2-3times the numbers.. I'm very new to this forum so I might not do things properly right away.. Sorry about that.. 
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rainbowgardener
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I grow the iris and daylilies so it is hard for me to think of them as "horrid" 
I do understand that the daylilies can spread faster than you might want. But neither of them should be that hard to get rid of, especially not the iris. It just grows as a compact rhizome. Just keep digging up the rhizomes. It does not come back from little pieces of root left behind as the daylily can. The daylily also is just a question of just keep digging them up, but you do have to be more persistent and thorough. Try to follow the root as you dig and get as much of it as you can.
Look around for someone to gift your iris to. The daylilies are so common, it would be hard to find a good home for them, they can just be food for your compost pile. But I bet a lot of people would love free irises!
I do understand that the daylilies can spread faster than you might want. But neither of them should be that hard to get rid of, especially not the iris. It just grows as a compact rhizome. Just keep digging up the rhizomes. It does not come back from little pieces of root left behind as the daylily can. The daylily also is just a question of just keep digging them up, but you do have to be more persistent and thorough. Try to follow the root as you dig and get as much of it as you can. Look around for someone to gift your iris to. The daylilies are so common, it would be hard to find a good home for them, they can just be food for your compost pile. But I bet a lot of people would love free irises!
I agree with RBG in that it shouldn't be hard to get rid of the iris. I like the spiky look of the leaves, even out od bloom, in a flower bed. I paid $35 last year for some very tiny (most 1/2 the size of a pencil) starts of the ditch lily. So far only a few of the 25 starts are coming up so I would also suggest you check out E-bay and see what they are selling for. You will probably be shocked. Maybe you could make some money while getting rid of them.
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rainbowgardener
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I hope you all don't mind me jumping on the iris question train!
Last spring, my sweet fiance tried to help me out by planting my irises in our front flowerbed for me. I didn't find out until this spring, when their green leaves grew 4+ feet long and flopped over like spaghetti, that he planted them a foot deep! Today, I dug them all up, trimmed them back to an inch or two in height (per my dad's advice), and replanted them, just barely beneath the surface of the soil.
My question is, will I have a chance of seeing irises after all this spring, or am I going to have to wait until next year before they come back up?
Last spring, my sweet fiance tried to help me out by planting my irises in our front flowerbed for me. I didn't find out until this spring, when their green leaves grew 4+ feet long and flopped over like spaghetti, that he planted them a foot deep! Today, I dug them all up, trimmed them back to an inch or two in height (per my dad's advice), and replanted them, just barely beneath the surface of the soil.
My question is, will I have a chance of seeing irises after all this spring, or am I going to have to wait until next year before they come back up?
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rainbowgardener
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"just barely beneath the surface of the soil. "
Iris should be planted so the top surface of the rhizome is above the soil. Just the bottom surface that the roots come from should be buried.
Not sure whether your iris will bloom this year or not. I imagine in TX your season is qute advanced and it will be getting hot soon. That may mean they don't bloom, but I don't know. But they should survive. Iris are very tough and hardy.
Iris should be planted so the top surface of the rhizome is above the soil. Just the bottom surface that the roots come from should be buried.
Not sure whether your iris will bloom this year or not. I imagine in TX your season is qute advanced and it will be getting hot soon. That may mean they don't bloom, but I don't know. But they should survive. Iris are very tough and hardy.
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gibsongirl74
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