I am, sadly, near the end of my great iris show. It is important that the flower stalk be cut right down to the rhizome. Their beds should be weeded now, as it was impossible to do so while the iris were blooming; the flower stems are too brittle and easily break. Delaware has had an exceptionally wet spring. To keep the rhizomes from rotting, all of the dead leaves must be cleaned out and the rhizomes exposed to the sun and air. I do not cut back the remaining fan leaves as I like their architectural interest in my garden. Iris should not be divided or moved until they are dormant, after the 4th of July. Their window of dormancy is from 6 weeks following bloom until about the end of August.
BTW there were some preschoolers field-tripping in the Sussex Demo Garden last week. I happened to be there working on the containers and so enjoyed talking with a 4 year old who was very pleased to have dirty hands from planting a marigold. ..........
Mary Sue
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