Assuming that you purchased a variegated BEARDED iris, and not one of the beardLESS types, you may be both overfertilizing and overwatering it. Bearded irises require little or no supplemental water once they are established, and in fact may rot if overwatered. Manure and other high nitrogen fertilizers are not recommended for bearded irises because nitrogen tends to promote foliar growth at the expense of blooms. Also, nitrogen is another thing that can promote rot in bearded irises.

That said, it is not at all uncommon for bearded irises to take two or more years to settle into a new garden before resuming their bloom cycle, so you may not get bloom this year. This is especially true for variegated plants that are slower growers.

I recommend you read through the FAQs (link at top of forum page) for more information about the proper care and culture (and troubleshooting) of bearded irises.

Laurie

Hi Laurief: Thanks so much for the info. Yes, it is a bearded iris and I had stopped watering it a few weeks after reading on this forum that very thing. So I'll just wait and no more feading and see how it does. I don't mind if it doesn't bloom this year and gets established, though I assumed that if it had bloomed in the pot, it would even more bloom in the ground. But because of it's beautiful foliage I'll be patient with the blooming. The smell of this iris though is unbelievable and the periwinkle blue is amazing, so can't wait to see it bloom. Thanks again for all the advice.