Should irises be cut back after blloming??
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No...leave the leaves intact so they can "feed" the bulbs during the summer and fall. You can tie them up into nice neat little bundles if you'd like. But don't cut them down.
Only the flower stalks . If you mean Siberian Iris , you don't even have to do that. The seed pods look good in the winter, esp with snow on them . If you mean Bearded (I. germanica) or Japanese( I. kaempferi) , go ahead & cut off spent flowers stalks.
Don't tie up in bundles, esp with Bearded (is that possible?).They are disease & insect prone, so need air circulation & light. Tying them up has same effect as cutting them off, to a lesser degree. If you don't like how it looks , think about how to arrange things so that they fade gracefully into the background . Might be a this yr & next project .They're tough , so don't be afraid to move them around . Hibiscus, Heliopsis,Asters & some grasses are good plants to hide them with.
ps . Don't wait 'til fall to move Bearded Iris . They won't root-in fast enough to avoid winter-kill. Now 'til mid-August is ideal. Early spring is good too.
You can take off the old blooms but leave the foilage. It will remain beautiful until fall, at which time you can divide the bulbs and plant if you desire.
Leave the tops for awhile longer . and if the seed pods are there , they are full of seeds and can be put in the dirt right then I have a beautiful yellow iris that I have spread from the seed pods.
Cut off old bloom . the leaves will feed and make the roots stronger. Cut after frost an separate if needed.
I cut mine back, just the stalks. Then after the leaves turn brown -August or Sept, I usually cut them down to about 2-3 inches off the ground. It might not be the best but it hasn't killed them yet.
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