Beginner Gardening: goats beard iris?, 1 by SunnyBorders

SunnyBorders wrote:
Am no expert on iris, but have used them in several perennial gardens. Think they need space, so using numbers of them is better in larger perennial beds.Have seen little or no evidence of bored-out iris rhizomes in the several beds, with irises, that I've installed and maintained.

Don't think it is just luck. Tend to like neat, toxic chemical free gardens and do a lot of cleaning up perennial beds through the growing season (deadheading, cutting back, staking, weeding, etc). Like to be able to monitor the soil surface, as possible. Where I have irises in perennial beds, I severly cut back their leaves about six weeks after blooming and clean out any fallen debris on and around the dormant iris rhizomes. The borer's eggs overwinter in the debris and on-line sources emphasize sanitation with irises. Think that doesn't just include removing diseased plant tissue.

Below: these mainly "heritage irises" were put in 4 or 5 years ago. They came from another location, I'd been maintaining, probably 15 years. I've seen little or no evidence of the borer over that time.

Can't say how typical this is of northern gardeners. Sorry to hear of Jim's experience. For me, the great curse is lily beetle - just don't use oriental lilies, fritillarias and toad lilies any more.