Monday, March 17, 2008

Iris Comeback?


The little spears of iris foliage have been appearing daily. My irises were almost completely wiped out 2 years ago because of iris borers. I recovered some (rinsing the rhizomes with 1:10 bleach:water solution) and last fall I went a bit wacko at the Iris Society booth at the Lewis Ginter Plant sale last fall. (For the knitters out there: you've seen similar behavior at the Socks That Rock booth before.) I hope to enjoy some iris blooms this spring! Take some time to read this essay from today's Washington Post. And for you Richmond Iris lovers, here is a short article on our "alley irises."

Contrary to the author of the Post article, I do not call my Siberian Irises weeds. They definitely are "vigorous" but live in harmony with my poppies as long as I share them with friends each fall.

Celebrate the green in your garden today ... Happy St. Patrick's Day!

1 comment:

Suzanne said...

I have some pass-along irises in my garden. My dad is a retired extension agent and did a radio show on WRVA for many years. The morning guy (alden aroe) passed on irises to him and I now have a patch. Free plants with a STORY!