Re: OT-BIO: Another new iris lover

Hi Pat:
   Welcome to the list. I'm glad you discovered iris. 
Unfortunatley,its addictive.
I think the term for iris people is "irisarians". Anyone else have 
another name?
I don't know why Atlanta has so few iris;  (I can't understand why 
ANYPLACE would not want to be filled with iris).
They do seem to be favored more in the north; maybe there are rot 
problems in the southern states??
Do your iris have "beards"? then they are the bearded variety. Beards 
are easy to spot; Just look thru some pictures; like on iris-photos.
Perhaps someday you will want to post some of the iris there that 
came from Mississippi and bloomed for you.
I am from NJ and I also have a problem with browning leaves. Seems 
like once the iris finish blooming, they go thru a gradual "die-
down". Outer leaves die, but cling in there; and leaf tips turn brown 
too.
They can be quite unattractive at times.
Sometimes I wonder if I am doing something wrong; but then I see 
mostly everyone else's iris around here also have brown outer leaves.
I usually pluck off the dead outer leaves, carefully separating the 
whole dead leaf from the rhizome; and sometimes I cut the the tips 
off the others if they are dying.
Pulling off dead outer leaves is a good thing because it discourages 
moisture from collecting there, which can cause rhizome rot. The next 
layer of leaves then starts to turn brown too, and you repeat the 
process. The whole plant should never turn brown (unless it dies from 
other causes) until a real killing frost sends them into winter 
hibrination. This year I plan to cut all remaining leaves off, around 
October to discourage borers. Check for borers; they will make your 
iris miserable.
The only good book I know is IRIS by Harry Randall, but it is out of 
print I'm sure (snatched up in a garage sale). That book got me into 
this iris thing.
This list is a good place to go for advice, and you learn alot just 
from browsing other's comments.There are rank beginners right thru to 
real serious hybridizers.

So happy irising...
Laetitia


--- In iris-talk@y..., "Pat" <bradleys@g...> wrote:
> Hello all,
> I am new to this list.  Live in Zone 7 (north of Atlanta).  I don't 
see a lot of
> Iris planted in people's gardens here (I am from Canada 
originally).  My husband
> brought from his old homestead in Mississippi some Iris that his 
great, great
> grandmother had planted (they were not in bloom at the time).  We 
planted them
> and oh my god, the following year they were absolutely gorgeous.  I 
am almost
> certain they are bearded iris - although I am fairly new to iris 
altogether.  I
> have planted more iris from the local nursery and they are 
beautiful as well.
> All my iris bloom for approx. 6 to 8 weeks in the spring (May 
timeframe), which
> someone tells me is unusual to bloom for so long.  There are two 
questions that
> I would like to ask you experienced iris lovers (what do we call 
ourselves
> irisees? :o)
> a) could someone suggest a very good book that explains all about 
iris and then
> some?
> b) when the iris are finished blooming, I know you can snap the 
stocks where the
> flower bloomed from, but what about the leaves that are brown 
tipped.  They
> detract from the beauty of the leaves alone - do you cut them back? 
or rip them
> out? or leave them
> 
> Thanks in advance for any advise.
> 
> Pat, Georgia, Zone 7A


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