Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - April 15, 2008
From: pahrump, NV
Region: Rocky Mountain
Topic: Propagation, Pruning, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Trimming bloom stalks of iris
Answered by:
QUESTION:
Mr. Smarty: I live in Nevada, and have some very beautiful Iris plants. They have all blossomed and now I am left with stems. Is there any way I can cut them back so they blossom again? If so how should it be done?ANSWER:
Different kinds of irises present their blooms on the stalks in different ways; however, usually two or three blooms will appear on the stalk, each one blooming and beginning to die, as another one begins to open. It is important not to trim off the stalk until the last of those blooms begins to dry. Then, you can nip off the fleshy stalk clear down to the base. Sometimes (although not always) this will encourage the iris to bloom some more. Iris have a fairly short blooming period, so if your plants are already past their bloom time, they probably will not bloom again until next year. However, it is important to keep the base of the plant cleaned up, to help prevent disease and pests from attacking the rhizomes from which the iris grows. The best way to get more flowers is to have more plants, this takes a while, but the plant continues to expand by rhizome each year; dividing them every two or three years will give you more plants and thus more blooms. Here is a website on iris care and division that goes into more detail.
More Propagation Questions
Propagation of endangered plant Texas trailing phlox from Carrollton TX
December 26, 2013 - 1. How many seeds does the Texas trailing phlox produce per season?
2. Can the seeds be taken from a living plant without hurting it?
Thank You!
view the full question and answer
Why Did Gaillardia and Aquilegia Changed Color?
June 26, 2013 - Both a Gaillardia pulchella and two red columbines bloomed normally last summer, but this summer the Gaillardia's petals are all yellow and one columbine is white and the other is yellow. What caused...
view the full question and answer
Time of year to plant Tecoma stans
December 16, 2007 - I wanted to know when the best time to plant the Esperanza flower (Tecoma stans) was. The information on the website did not give planting dates or soil conditions for this plant. Can you please help?...
view the full question and answer
Propagation of Blackfoot Daisy from Gonzales TX
March 25, 2011 - How do I propagate Melampodium leucanthum, blackfoot daisy?
view the full question and answer
Buffaloberry from Grandma
June 25, 2008 - I have a "BUFFALO BERRY" that my Grandma brought back from South Dakota.It is approx.8yrs.old.All was well until this spring.It was budding out when we had a very hard freeze and got 3" of snow.Now...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |