My 1st question to you would be What type of irises are you wanting?? If bearded then you would need rhizomes. Most critters wont bother irises.. If is tall bearded then you normally plant irises 12 -24 inches apart.. The closer together the sooner you have to divide...I usually plant 18 inches and have to dig every 3 years...This is the time of yr that you need to plant them

I'd say it's most important you choose ones you really love. In beardeds I loved lavenders and pinks at first sight and they are still my favorites. If you're not sure whether the iris will live up to its picture, check for an award. BlueJ Iris is good about including that info. If an iris in my color range has at least won an HM (honorable mention) I am usually not disappointed.

I agree with Littlebit. Don't plant too close to each other. Some may sulk and skip a year's bloom after division.

I am not picky, I think all iris are gorgeous. My main goal was to have something that is easy to grow, critter resistant, and low maintenance. Something that won't need mulch, will just grow in the grass (I have too many beds to maintain as it is). Is iris still a good choice? Maybe I should've mentioned that first...

I don't mind watering regularly if needed, but low maintenance in all other regards...

How's your soil. Clay or sand? Do you receive summer rain? Are we talking about the bearded type? Good drainage important.

Beardeds need to dry out between soaks. Heavy soil and summer rains can rot them. Rhizomes do not like being smothered by other plants/weed grasses. Those can hold too much moisture around the rhizomes.

I don't know if NY has iris borers. Reading posts from areas east of the Rockies about those little nightmares. Other than that they are fairly pest free. Sometimes whitefly and scale if they are not in full sun all day. Which doesn't kill them. The old leaves die in late summer anyhow and there go those pests. One year a gopher took up residence and was extremely hungry. It did chomp on new baby rhizomes. That's all the negative I can think of. Oh, one more. If weather conditions are conducive they may get leaf spot. Again, it's not a killer. Only cosmetically unattractive. I sprayed fungicide the first time I saw it but now don't. Most years it's absent here.

Hardy geraniums, dwarf Euphorbias and ground covers are my most maintenance free plants. Little deadheading and little pruning. Then the beardeds.

my soil is definitely clay, we receive a moderate amount of rain. Maybe iris is not a good choice :(

You could always find someone with extra irises (freebies) and try them...then if they do well you could add more until you have your dream spot... I would at least give it a try before I just tossed the thought away.... But this is coming from someone who has over 500 named iris in her yard..

I don't think that I'd worry about the clay. I suppose excessive water might be an issue. We have more clay in north carolina than New York. We can also get lots of water and sometimes not. Iris grow well here.

Hi all,

I also live in Central New York and was thinking about planting siberian iris plants around the base of a white trellis. I bought nine packages of bulbs from Dollar General last night that were marked down to 20¢ each. Do they have to be planted in the spring? When would be the best time to plant these? Also, do siberian iris plants work well as companions to clematis plants? I have clematis growing on each side of the trellis and was thinking that the siberian iris would help keep out grass and shade the roots of the clematis plants. Thank you.