Iris Reticulata Post-Bloom

I live in an apartment complex with strict landscaping rules. I bought the Iris Reticulatas because they are small and pretty, but after they bloomed their two leave stalks shot up to about quadruple the size they had originally stopped at to bloom. Now I just look like I have a garden of tall green spikes. I know they are collecting nutrients for next year, so I don't want to mess with that, but a neighbor told me I can bundle the leaves and tie them with twine for a more aesthetically pleasing design. I researched this a bit online and so far I've only found one mention of this technique and it came with a warning because this could limit the plant's ability to collect what it needs for the next year.

Can anyone further expound upon this technique? Or at least offer some alternate aesthetic tips?

Thanks!

Bump.

Not an expert, but I have also read that the know tying limits them for the following year. It seems to be the dilemma with bulbs in general- the flowers are so wonderful, but the dying leaves can be so messy. I try to plant other plants around them to hide the wilting a bit.

I just leave mine to die back naturally, but i don't have any 'rules' here.... there are plenty of other items nearby that draw attention away from the dying foliage. Also, to me, gardening is a big experiment. You might tie some and leave some alone, then next spring, note how they fared. If it was me though, by next spring, I would no longer remember I did that much less which ones I did it to... ha ha. I would plant some annuals in the bed, but I don't know what you're restrictions are. Also, with bulbs, some need their foliage longer than others. Tulips especially need their foliage as long as possible, Crocus and Daffs can get by with less. At least that's what I heard somewhere. Not sure this helps.

I'd also suggest getting some colorful annuals and plant them around the irises, that way people will focus on them and not on the leaves--if you're allowed to have irises I assume you'd be allowed to have petunias and things along those lines too?

Yes, thank you everyone. I am definitely going to do some planting in between the dying foliage. However, the problem was not the boringness of post-bloom Irises, but the fact that the leaves quadrupled in height after the bloom, so now it looks really messy.

In my opinion, there's not much you can do about the messiness. The reason for planting additional flowers is not just for the boringness but also to draw the 'viewers' attention away from the messiness. Hopefully the person with the answer you are looking for will come by soon.

No, these answers are perfect- they have confirmed what I was afraid of from the start: that I shouldn't mess with the leaves at all if I want to have beautiful blooms again next year.

Thanks!