My side yard is too messy looking, so on a quest for neatness, I dug up and gave away three boxes of free iris plants.
Before Photograph
The iris plants in my flower bed are white, yellow and purple. There is also a bunch of weeds and vines growing among the plants.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time weeding this area because it is the side of my house which I don’t really use.
Over the years, the tall maple trees from next door grew over this area so now things are quite shady.
The iris plants don’t get enough sun for proper blooms. The overgrown area attracts sugar ants and other pests.
For now, not even sure if any new plants will tolerate the low sunlight in this area. Even hosta plants don’t want to grow here but will research it anyway.
Removing the Iris Plants
To get the plants ready for give away, first, I dug up the iris plants and removed all the weeds. There were so many iris plants, that I used a wheelbarrow to collect them.
Wheelbarrow Full of Iris Plants
Then I found three brown paper boxes to put the iris plants in and I made a free sign.
The tops of the iris plants are cut off so they look neat and tidy in the boxes.
I asked a gardening friend if she would like any, but she said her yard is partly shady and she already has iris plants. She mentioned she could ask her online gardening club if they wanted any. I elected just to allow the neighbors to take them for free.
In the near future, I might have to, also, join an online gardening club for this reason.
Many of these iris plants have large rhizomes.
Putting Out the Free Sign
I remember not too long ago, I thinned out some Torch Lilies and put them near the curb with a free sign. They were gone almost immediately.
Since I hate to toss away good plants, another free sign went up. This time the plants were irises, full sun, and drought tolerant.
The first box was gone within a day, the second box also went quickly. The last box took about a week before someone picked it up.
I hope they all went to good homes with gardeners who will love them.
Ending Notes
I ran out of energy to dig out the entire iris section. For now, the area looks better and is a work-in-progress.
I’ll let my Readers know how things go.
Good-bye Iris Plants!
Tips for Growing Iris Plants
Actually, I think the more you neglect iris plants, the better. I’m adding a few tips on growing iris plants.
- Plant Iris rhizomes in full sun.
- Do not over water. The plants like well drained soil.
- Plant the iris rhizomes shallowly so they don’t rot.
- Iris plants are drought resistant.