What to do if your iris has stopped blooming

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Iris grow great here in the Southwest. If you have had a clump of them for several seasons, you may have noticed less blooms this past season. If that's the case, there is an easy solution. It will require getting your hands dirty, and it may make you some new gardening friends!

Iris won't bloom when they get too crowded. That's why they always bloom great for the first year or two and then they stop blooming. The solution is to dig them up and replant. Here is how you do it.

• First, cut all the foliage away. Leave only an inch or two above the ground. Give all of the plants the severest haircut that you can and get rid of the leaves.

• Get a shovel and dig up all of the bulbs. Yes, it takes hard work - and confidence! You will find that the original bulbs have multiplied like crazy. Dig them all up and shake off the dirt. You can leave the roots on or take them off, it doesn't matter.

• Sort out the bulbs by size. Believe me, you will have plenty. You really only want to use the biggest ones. You are going to have a lot to give away to friends and neighbors.

• Pour out some new fresh potting soil with some slow-release dry plant food. Plant the bulbs (technically they are called *rhizomes*) close to the surface, that is, not too deep, a few inches apart. Iris is a type of a large grass and it grows the same way that Bermuda grass grows, by creating runners and putting down roots. Full sun!

• Water in well. Then stand back. If you live in Arizona, you will get an explosion of blooms in early spring that will last until summer.

The best time to do this here is in September and October, so get out there!

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