Where to plant iris in Phoenix, Arizona

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Iris do well in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Also up to 3,000 feet (I've seen a lot of them in Prescott) in Arizona, anywhere in Southern California, and all of the desert cities of Arizona and California.

If you live in the Phoenix, Arizona area, like I do, the best place to plant them is at the bottom of a hill, in full sun. I don't know that because I'm sort of expert, I know it because I have planted them all over here and the ones that do the best (like in the photo) are the ones that get the most water, and sunshine. I'm experimenting mostly.

Iris are really just giant flowering grasses. They grow very fast and are best planted as bulbs (yeah, I know it's supposed to be called a rhizome, but who says "rhizome"?).  The leaves get almost two feet tall, and the blooms are even taller. It's best to plant them where the blooms can easily be attended to, as the blooms only last a few weeks before they start looking ratty. So this spot, at the bottom of a hill, right where I can reach them, is the best.

Personally, I like the blue-green color and tropical look of the leaves. The flowers area a bonus. The iris here have been donated to me (as bulbs) from gardens from here in Glendale, to Yarnell, Arizona, and Calabasas, California. I have long since lost track of the color of the flowers, but they will be varied. Most of them will be purple, as that is the most common one. But some will be yellow, if all goes well.

I'll let you know how it goes.

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