Since no one replied to my question, I'll ask again....I have an iris bed
that I have just cleaned up and weeded nicely. Is there a good way to keep
the weeds out, I know not to cover the plants too much, so how can I mulch
to keep it neat. Advise, please.....
Karen

I have an iris bed
that I have just cleaned up and weeded nicely. Is there a good way to keep
the weeds out, I know not to cover the plants too much, so how can I mulch
to keep it neat.

Irises do not take kindly to too much mulching. I would recommend Preen n'
Green, or the same thing sold under other brand names.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Xref: news7 rec.gardens:222621

The standard advice I always read is that iris should not be mulched. I
understand the reasoning behind it, but I don't find in workable in my
garden. Without mulch, I get weeds. I have a large and diverse garden, and
a lot of other interests, and I don't want to spend a lot of time weeding
the iris (or anything else!). I have a personal preference against chemical
solutions, so that's out....That leaves me with mulch. I use a high quality
hardwood *bark* mulch, NOT shredded wood, or "hardwood mulch", or ground up
packing pallets dyed red or black, or any other kind of crappy mulch that
packs together and rots too fast.

With bark mulch, applied about two inches thick, I get good weed control and
erosion control. And the irises do just fine; they don't suffer from rot
and they bloom well. It works for me.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Kipper" wrote in message
...
Since no one replied to my question, I'll ask again....I have an iris bed
that I have just cleaned up and weeded nicely. Is there a good way to
keep
the weeds out, I know not to cover the plants too much, so how can I mulch
to keep it neat. Advise, please.....
Karen

Thanks for such good advise. thanks...Karen

"SugarChile" wrote in message
news
The standard advice I always read is that iris should not be mulched. I
understand the reasoning behind it, but I don't find in workable in my
garden. Without mulch, I get weeds. I have a large and diverse garden,
and
a lot of other interests, and I don't want to spend a lot of time weeding
the iris (or anything else!). I have a personal preference against
chemical
solutions, so that's out....That leaves me with mulch. I use a high
quality
hardwood *bark* mulch, NOT shredded wood, or "hardwood mulch", or ground
up
packing pallets dyed red or black, or any other kind of crappy mulch that
packs together and rots too fast.

With bark mulch, applied about two inches thick, I get good weed control
and
erosion control. And the irises do just fine; they don't suffer from rot
and they bloom well. It works for me.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Kipper" wrote in message
...
Since no one replied to my question, I'll ask again....I have an iris
bed
that I have just cleaned up and weeded nicely. Is there a good way to
keep
the weeds out, I know not to cover the plants too much, so how can I
mulch
to keep it neat. Advise, please.....
Karen

The message ink.net
from "SugarChile" contains these words:


With bark mulch, applied about two inches thick, I get good weed control and
erosion control. And the irises do just fine; they don't suffer from rot
and they bloom well. It works for me.

Have you thought of using grit or gravel? Most irises like a summer
baking and roots as dry as possible; gravel might provide thet better
than bark.

Janet.

Thanks for the great idea.....

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message ink.net
from "SugarChile" contains these words:


With bark mulch, applied about two inches thick, I get good weed control
and
erosion control. And the irises do just fine; they don't suffer from
rot
and they bloom well. It works for me.

Have you thought of using grit or gravel? Most irises like a summer
baking and roots as dry as possible; gravel might provide thet better
than bark.

Janet.

Thanks, Janet, it's a good thought, but....I've tried a stone mulch on a bed
once, and it was a nightmare. Every possible weed and/or wild plant and/or
perennial seed around found its way there, germinated, and dug in. It was
harder to weed than a mulched bed, so I ended up removing the stones (such a
pain) and switching back to bark mulch.

I understand that irises like to have their roots rhizomes dry and baked.
The thin layer of mulch I use doesn't seem to interfere with that
requirement to any significant degree. The irises are in full sun, and near
the driveway, which probably reflects/retains heat and helps keep things
from being too soggy. If I had a problem with iris culture, I would explore
other options, or stop growing them, but my irises do just fine for me.
Someone else's situation may be different from mine; I'm just reporting on
my experiences, and saying it's ok to flaunt convention wisdom if you use
judgment and observation.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA




"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
Have you thought of using grit or gravel? Most irises like a summer
baking and roots as dry as possible; gravel might provide thet better
than bark.

Janet.