Bearded Iris Question

[Willa]

I bought some old fashioned bearded iris from a local Kijiji seller last fall.

I planted them in the front, where it seemed like they should get lots of sun and be happy. There was also the moveable downspout that would give them water as needed. I know they don't like to get too wet.

They came up this spring, but never formed any buds at all. I decided to move them to an even sunnier spot where other irises are doing fine and did bloom.

Now I have heard that sometimes iris (irises ?) can be fussy about being moved and will sulk for a year and not bloom after being moved.

I dug them up today and the rhizomes look healthy - no rot, iris borers or mushy spots. In fact the rhizomes were HUGE with gigantic roots, while the leaves that formed were kind of runty compared to my other bearded iris.

Can any experienced iris person explain what is up with them ? Was the soil too rich so they formed the mighty roots and rhizomes ?

* Also - they were not planted too deeply*

[Manalto]

I've never had iris bloom the first year.

[mjt]

Same as James; I've almost never had transplanted iris bloom the first year.

[Willa]

Hmm, years ago I bought a ton of irises that had been in a yard for decades. They bloomed the first year after being planted and did great until a huge infestation of iris borers.

I guess I am used to the older types of iris having large upright leaves. The small leaves - more the size of what you might see for a dwarf iris - confused me.

I will plant them in an even sunnier spot, and will refrain from moving them again for a couple of years. I hope they will be productive. They were a lovely magenta color.

I have some others - free from CL - that are that odd beige color, which I LOVE.

[Ireland House]

My folks grew bushels of iris on the herb farm. They usually had fewer blossoms the first year, mostly because of the trimming of the corms. To get the best blooms, iris should be dug every 3 years. If you leave them longer than that they crowd themselves and you get borers. Many people plant them too deeply, we put them only an inch or two under the soil on a mounded bed for drainage. If they are by a down spout, they may be staying too wet if you have rain too many days in a row. I move about 1/3 of my iris every year, so I always have older ones. The borers will live in the groud for a season, so I always pick a new spot.