Question for Iris Lily about Irises

[CathyA]

I was wondering.......do you cut your foliage back in the Fall or wait until spring?
I was cleaning our's up last weekend, and its a big job. I can't imagine how long it takes you to clear your old stuff out.

[iris lily]

I clean up both in the fall and in the spring. Yes, the iris do have a lot of dead leaves. With leaf spot (a fungus) rampant among iris you've got to keep on top of it.

I have a very bad infestation 2 years ago that made some of my iris very sick. I had planted them too close together, but thought that because they were in full sun, I could get by, but nope! I've got tons of cleanig to do, have barely started for the year.

[CathyA]

I like to leave alot of foliage through the winter for added insulation for them, but dang, its a pain to try to cut all those leaves when they're flattened to the ground!

[iris lily]

I like to leave alot of foliage through the winter for added insulation for them, but dang, its a pain to try to cut all those leaves when they're flattened to the ground!

I don't cut them, I pull them off. But it's true that at times I pull too hard and yank a plant semi-out of the ground. This year I might take scissors to the high end iris beds, but for most of them, the ones that have been around for years, naw, I'll pull their leaves.

[CathyA]

I tried pulling them and they wouldn't budge, so I was afraid to be much more aggressive.

[iris lily]

I tried pulling them and they wouldn't budge, so I was afraid to be much more aggressive.

Cathy, you have to show them who is boss. Yank those old brown leaves right offa them! ha ha.

Just kidding, I'm sure I would never be allowed to use my technique at the Missouri Botanical Gardens' iris beds. My Iris Society buddies maintain the beds there.

They told me this story, about some kid years ago who jumped into the sand at the Japanese gardens and ruined the carefully raked pattern by making his own...;):laff:

[CathyA]

haha......that was probably my son. Maybe you missed the story about it in your post about the first iris to bloom. We were walking through the gardens there and looked back and there was our son, making a design in the raked sand. After all.....it was a sand box, right? :0!

[iris lily]

haha......that was probably my son. Maybe you missed the story about it in your post about the first iris to bloom. We were walking through the gardens there and looked back and there was our son, making a design in the raked sand. After all.....it was a sand box, right? :0!

Naw I didn't miss it, your son is legendary!

Just kidding.

[CathyA]

Duh......I'm a little slow. I get it now!:~)