Southern gardeners: to water, or not to water? Help!

I'm not an experienced iris grower, and could stand some advice from folks who grow them where the summers have baking sun, humidity, and no rain.

Concerning tall bearded iris: the beds that get a little bit of shade (but still at least six to eight hours of sun) are doing better than the two established beds right along the front walk in ten to twelve hours of sun--those poor things look awful, and some of them have rotted or died at the rhizome.

My question is this: are they getting too much water or not enough? The ones in more shade actually get more water, but I read that when they're in really hot conditions, too much water can rot them... so I've been giving them a good shower with the hose once a week and that's it. With triple digit heat and no rain..I figure they need at least some.

Then I have a new bed out by the street that is getting mixed results...full (all day) sun, not much water at all, yet some of the iris are "hanging on" til fall (which is really the norm here) and some of them have died right to the ground. I haven't dug them up to see if they rotted, but the leaves browned from the rhizome up.

Please advise?

Please advise?

Oops. Didn't edit very well, did I?

sometimes ones in the 12 hour plus sun leaves brown out faster then the ones in soggier more shaded conditions..but the ones drier and in more sun usually have less disease and rot type issues than the ones soggier and more shaded, for me personally in NC zone 7B which is quite humid and wet year round i still have to once or twice a week in the hottest couple weeks in the end of July and Beginning of August whether a drought type dry heat or intense humidity heat, water with the garden hose my direct sun beds for a good 5 minutes plus in the early morning or evening once or twice a week so the intense sun doesnt cook them in the hose water in early morning or evening. we have alot of chlorine in our water which is really bad for watering things planted in pots, but great for watering things planted in the ground as the natural bacteria will repopulate on the ones planted, the chlorine seems to keep the rot issues on iris and daylilies at bay put dont water more than once or twice a week even in intense summer months in the deep South. Bone meal is really good for southern gardens in intense humidity to use in the Fall and the Spring as it toughens the rhizomes up with the calcium preventing alot of the soft rot related issues, wont stave them off completely in the worst of the humidiy but really helps. not sure what part of Texas you are in but if your in the part where it is so warm like mediterranean climate-like parts of coastal california where the potato size rhizomes come from where their is no dormancy period where the leaves dont die back, than culling diseased leaf spot leaves or soft rhizomes especially when their is humidity is gonna be a year long effort.

I don't live in your conditions but go to www.irises.org for the American Iris Society. They have a list of local clubs which you would be able to consult. Irises can deal with a lack of water during the summer, so the people could help on how much to water.

What an Excellent Idea IrisMA..now why didnt any of us 'Southern Gardeners' think of that ;~)

This message was edited Sep 1, 2014 8:41 PM

Heres a much better website http://davesgarden.com finest Database of Historic Irises and Daylilies by Hybridizers on the Internet. I understand Dave lives in Texas, and grows alot of Plants their that he didnt grow in Hawaii, he might know, he may grow alot of iris. If I remember correctly Pixie and Dixie had a cousin Tex with big muscles that beat up Jinxy..Jinx also had cousin Tex that came to help but he was kinda sickly lately..scooby doo had a cousin from Texas too scooby dumb.lol.just some humerous popular culture, but i wouldnt suggest asking scooby dumb bwahaha :~)

Thanks for the ideas, guys! I'll check them out...I'd sure hate to loose any more of these babies.