Hybridizers usually reject those beardeds with bad growth habits. So I'd look to my soil and sun exposure. Is it staying too wet? Is it getting too much nitrogen? Are the iris receiving 8 hours of sunlight? Remember beardeds like to dry out between soakings. If you have heavy soil use a trowel to determine when to water. If you have sandy soil, arrghhh. Lots and lots of compost.

Are you planting with your other perennials? I recently moved all my iris to one bed that I don't mulch & other plants aren't encroaching on them. Several iris tended to be floppy before. One in particular, Fireside Glow, had very thin stalks & flopped before the flower even opened. I moved it & it has been in this spot for 3 years with no abnormal flopping. The downside of a huge iris bed is that when they are finished blooming, it really looks sad. Excessive rain (which often accompanies spring, along with those heavy winds that seem to just wait til iris are open to blow them over) seems to make the stems weaker, although we had a lot of rain here in April & I didn't have a bit of problem this year. I love a bed of mixed perennials, but just doesn't seem to work well for me. I do tend to plant very close together.

I think most of the iris are getting sufficient sunlight. It's clay soil here, and some of the irises seem to be in straight clay. Some of the beds are obviously improved, with about an inch or two of black soil before it turns to clay. They are all overcrowded. I do think some of this has to do with the rain, too, as the purple no id iris that were here at the house were not floppy last year. The Fire Bug iris is so strong and sturdy and happy and it's planted in several beds in different conditions - no problems. I'm having floppy blooms out of a lot of my newcomers I traded for last year and most of the no id purple ones. I will be digging them up and thinning them out soon!!! Hopefully I can re-grade and improve the soil at that time.

Thank you!!!