Iris that will not bloom

I can't get my Iris to bloom. What am I doing wrong?

What type of Iris?

Cissy,
Two problems I can think of. One is not enough water, two is not enough food. Don't ask me what food. I feed all my flowers and bulbs llama poo!

Cissy----one of the biggest reason iris don't bloom is because they are buried too deeply. You should have the "heel" of the rhizome just at the soil surface with the "root" angled down. Another common cause is that they need division. You don't say if these are newly planted or not, but if they've been there awhile they probably need division. The American Iris Society recommends division every 2-3 years.

Here's a link to their page on growing tips and they give a good explanation of proper planting depth.

http://www.irises.org/growing.htm
Brenda

Cissy, it would be helpful to know what kind of Iris. If it is tall bearded iris, they do require full sun and perfect drainage. Agree with kokopelli and Brenda as well. Perhaps someone from your zone in Florida may be able to tell you if it is even possible to bloom TB Iris where you live- it is not always possible if they are not getting enough cold over the winter.

John

I think I fill the bill for location. I tried planting bearded irises when I first moved here from GA, where they did so well. The year they were new, they bloomed, but never again.

Most spring bulbs are a one time bloomer here. I don't know how they would do if you dug them and refrigerated them each year. I haven't tried that.

If you're new to the area, talk with Tallahassee Nurseries, or Espositos, about what types of irises and bulbs will do well here. The ground is not cold enough to establish the bulbs in the winter. I think perhaps Lousiana Iris may work, but the nurseries will know.

If you planted the bearded type, maybe you can trade them to someone north of this area for something else you can use.

You can e-mail me if you'd like to find out what I've found works here in the 13 years I've been here.