Iris Flowers in June

As a result of spring was late in lots of locations this 12 months, it’s seemingly that the majority Iris bloom will probably be crowded into June, besides within the South. This would be the case for all sorts of Iris besides the dwarfs and early intermediate bearded Irises whose blossoms may have handed.

Early this month, Iris fanciers might benefit from the attractive blossoms of recent tall bearded varieties in addition to the Siberians which have been significantly improved lately. These are adopted shortly by the stunning swish flowers of such beardless varieties because the Southern species hybrids and spurias. On the finish of June the imposing Japanese Iris will command consideration in all places.

Shifting Irises now

Fortuitously, not a lot cultural exercise is important throughout flowering time. This provides the Iris gardener a chance to benefit from the outcomes of his labors and likewise an opportunity to go to different individuals’s gardens and business plantings. There, one can word the most recent novelties and choose varieties to be added to the house assortment. If desired, crops will be dug at a nursery whereas in bloom, taken dwelling, and planted instantly. This may be completed with none considerable hurt to the plant, although after all, it’s higher to attend till the rhizomes have matured in July earlier than lifting and planting.

Minimize flower stalks shut

As quickly as Irises have completed blooming, it doesn’t matter what sort, lower off the flower stalk near the ground-flush with the highest of the rhizome within the case of bearded Iris. This permits extra air and light-weight to penetrate into the clump and helps to take care of it in a wholesome situation. Likewise, when chopping Iris for dwelling ornament, lower the stalk off near the bottom as a substitute of snipping off sections of the stem close to the highest. Stems can all the time be shortened earlier than being organized.

In June, particularly throughout sizzling moist spells, watch carefully for evidences of rhizome rot, the foul smelling bacterial decay of the foundation, described final month. Function on the rhizome, drastically if obligatory, to take away all decayed parts after which smear the wound with sulfur or copper carbonate. If the rot has affected a number of rhizomes in a gaggle, elevate the whole clump and replant solely the sound rhizomes after letting them dry completely out of the bottom for a number of days.

Any Iris borers that escaped consideration in Might will by now have penetrated the rhizome and have turn into sizable worms. There isn’t any alternative however to dig up and discard rhizomes thus attacked, in any other case the damage brought on by the borer may be very prone to carry on rot and trigger worse havoc afterward.

Thrips and leaf spot

An occasional dusting of Iris crops with sulfur-rotenone in June will assist forestall leaf spot on bearded Iris and maintain in test any Iris thrips which can be harbored on the leaves of Japanese Iris. On the latter, thrips if prevalent might stop the blossoms from opening in a standard trend and the in any other case attractive blooms could also be a lot deformed as a result of insidious actions of this tiny insect, a lot the identical as with Gladiolus.

With all these admonitions I don’t want to create the impression that Irises are normally plagued with ailments and bugs when in reality they’re remarkably freed from them. Nonetheless, because the outdated saying goes, “An oz of prevention is value a pound of treatment.”

By F. W. Cassebeer