The summer solstice, a most propitious date — brings the promise of long, heady days of summer, reaping the success in our gardens and in all aspects of our lives. June 21st also heralds the start of our 2014 Summer Sale. You’ll find over 350 varieties of Tall Bearded Iris at deeply discounted prices. Pictured on the cover of our summer sale catalog below is a special bonus for your summer sale order. “Swept Off My Feet”, one of our 2014 introductions, is the 2014 Summer Sale bonus. Use coupon code SSC2014 to get yours. (*Limit one per customer; minimum $25 order of plants.)
What’s happening in the June garden? Depending on your location, you may have a handful of lingering Iris blossoms, or all of your bloom stalks might be sporting the papery remains of the seasons’ blooms. When all blossoms on the stalks have finished, carefully trim the bloom stalk at its base. Leave all green foliage in place. They offer an elegant vertical visual throughout the garden. You may remove any browned and dry leaves, though. Keep the Iris beds clean and free of weeds. Well-established Iris plants are drought tolerant. Newly planted Iris, though, do require a good long drink approximately every 7 to 10 days if the weather is very dry. Reblooming Iris also prefer irrigation between the spring bloom and summer/autumn re-bloom times. We recommend an application of a low-nitrogen fertilizer (such as 6-10-10) approximately one month after blooms have finished. Superphosphate and bonemeal also work well as a fertilizer for Iris.
For the Love of Iris 
June 25, 2014 at 10:05 am
When do i cut down the leaves on my iris, they are through for the year in central Nebraska
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June 25, 2014 at 10:52 am
Great question, Jenny. Keep the healthy green foliage on the plant until the fall. The rhizomes collect their energy for future growth via the foliage all summer long. You can trim the spent bloom stalks down at the base. Any foliage attached to the bloom stalk will obviously come off too. Not a problem. There are likely some leaves that have already shriveled into papery brown strips. You can carefully remove these as well. When the season turns to autumn, you can trim the foliage to a height of 6 inches. Keep your Iris beds clean, free of debris and free of weeds. Enjoy the summer!
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