Bearded Iris and Faces on Facebook

Mom's Bearded Iris ~ snitched from her garden years ago ~ now happily flourishing in mine.

It's official, I thought to myself. If my Brother is on Facebook then I am the last hold out left in the USA, and possibly in the world!

I cannot bring myself to become a Facebooker.

I don't intend to Twitter, either. Ever!

Blogging, to me, has value. It requires time, thought, hopefully a little bit of focus, lots of commitment.

Facebook feels like a bunch of people haphazardly clicking around asking, Hey, can I be your friend?

As if adults have willingly regressed back to the shallowness of high school popularity contests.

Now, I realize this bad attitude could anger lots of people. So, let me just say right here and now: Sorry! I was wrong. (And, I hate to admit that!)

My Brother has spent the last few rainy weekends scanning and posting a ton of photos he found in boxes around the old homestead. Preserving them in the virtual world. He kept pestering me. Join Facebook. Go look.

Get lost. That was my response. But, it's kind of like a traffic accident. You gotta look. Even when you don't want to.

So, I looked. And, look what I found. This is Mom, snowshoeing in the Utah Mountains, on a visit 66 winters ago.

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Whenever I see an article listing 'How to care for Bearded Iris' I get confused. Other than occasionally thinning the herd, the less care the better. They live forever, are incredibly drought-tolerant. I can't imagine a cottage garden without them.

* Nope. She had nothing to do with me moving to Utah. In fact, she was against the idea.... :)

Bearded Iris: Do's and Mostly Don'ts

You're doing a fabulous job. You're just doing it all wrong.

Such was the response when I asked why the Iris won't bloom. Top three crimes I've commit against my Bearded Iris:

• Watered too often
• Fertilized too much
  
• Planted too deep

I love to meddle but Iris are drought-tolerant, easy-going bloomers who prefer I leave them alone. Plant on slopes for good drainage. (Wet soil causes the rhizome* to rot.) Expose rhizome tops to feel the warmth of the sun. Place roots deeper into the soil.

Go easy on the nitrogen. If you do fertilize, distribute near (not on) the plant, as that can burn the rhizome.

No mulch, unless they are new transplants. Pine needles work well, since they keep ground warm and do not retain water.

Some Bearded Iris varieties rebloom. These 3 should make a loud statement in spring and hopefully again in the fall: Orange Harvest, Stellar Lights, Gypsy Caravan.

* Treat reblooming Iris differently. A 10-10-10 fertilizer about two weeks after spring blooms, along with light watering, encourages second flowering in late summer/fall.

** A rhizome is an underground stem that sends out roots and shoots. For best blooms, Iris must be divided every 3-4 years. Right photo demostrates how rhizome should be divided for replanting.

*** Love Iris? So does Schreiners, the Iris experts. Click here to get their free Iris catalog. Fill your garden with sizzling new colors.

If you're a patient gardener, plant them 18 inches apart. Or, plant close together for a beautiful show the very first year. Divide the rhizomes and plant new Iris beds every 3 years. Younger Iris tend to be the most prolific bloomers.