Iris sibirica "Caesars Brother"

Thanks a lot, aquawise!

A wonderful plant! You can cut off the seed pods.
Renee

I have a few siberian iris as well. I just cut the stems when they finish flowering. In the fall I cut the clumps back to 4 to 6 inches.

Sierra

Thank you, Renee and Sierra!

If I leave the seed pods on, will they just drop to the ground and probably generate new ones next year?

For cutting the stems, how much should I cut back now in the summer? Do I cut again to 4 to 6 inches in the fall?

I cut the stems as low down in the folliage as I can. It is the leaves that I cut down to 4 to 6 inches in late fall.

The seeds will fall to the ground, but no quarantee they will germinate. If they do germinate, the new plants may or may not look like the parent plant. Not sure how long it takes to get flowers on siberian iris from seed, but it could take a few years.

Sierra

Thanks again, Sierra!

I do have a few smaller siberian iris plants near this big group. I don't know whether they came from the seeds, though.

Probably I should have said weak "leaves" instead of stems in my original post. Should I do anything to the leaves that fell down? Will they invite pests and diseases?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Hi Sherry. The leaves on your plants look normal. Just leave them till late fall...then cut.

Siberian iris spread vegetatively.This means it sends out new plants from the main plant. Your clumps will eventually form a circle with nothing in the middle. You can prevent this by dividing your plants regularly....about every 3 years.

To divide cut through the middle of the plant with a shovel and just leave half the plant in that area. You can plant the other piece somewhere else or give it to friends.....or add it to the compost bin.

Not much can go wrong with siberians. They are pretty carefree plants as far as garden plants go.

Sierra

Thank you, Sierra, for sharing your experience! My clumps do have some empty space in the middle. Probably it's time to divide!

Thanks again!

Sherry