Re: CULT: Removing bloomstalks

From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>

Don--remove as little as possible.  I just trim off the dead flowers.  The
more you leave, the stronger the bulbs will be next year.  Here, by
mid-June, the whole plant has dried up and can be pulled out from the soil
with a sharp tug, leaving the bulb behind.  On no account remove any leaves
until they yellow.

Of course, Dutch iris are so cheap that many people plant and use them as
annuals.  When they look bad after blooming, they are yanked out and thrown
away.  I did this myself last year, then we had a perfect summer (hot and
dry) for perennializing Dutch iris!  I think I'll leave them in this year
and see what happens.  One 'Gypsy Beauty' that I missed last summer is
blooming now, making me sorry for tossing all the others.

Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@hsc.edu>




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