Dwarf Bearded Iris Question

I planted a dwarf bearded iris "Skydrops" five or six years ago and it has never bloomed. It is growing under the same conditions as I use for tall bearded iris and I have no problems getting them to bloom. Do dwarf bearded iris need something special?

Dwarf beardeds should do as well as TBs under the same cultural conditions, but there are several things you can check and/or do to promote bloom.

1) Make sure the rhizomes aren't entirely buried. The tops of the rzs should be visible at the soil surface.

2) Clumps should be divided, and their soil well amended every 3-4 yrs to maintain plant vigor. Overcrowded clumps in nutritionally depleted soil will not bloom well ... if at all.

3) As with all beardeds, dwarfs perform best with a minimum of 6 hrs of direct sunlight a day.

4) Fertilize lightly with superphosphate about 6 weeks pre-bloom in the spring.

5) When you divide the clump, replant several divisions in different areas of your garden. Sometimes a cultivar that refuses to bloom in one location will bloom quite happily in another part of the same garden with slightly different cultural or soil conditions.

Last summer I dug and divided almost all my irises, then heavily amended their beds before replanting. This spring, I am enjoying first time bloom on irises I've been growing for 5-6 yrs with no previous bloom.

Good luck,

Laurie

Dwarf bearded iris need more cold than TB do to bloom well. You may simply not have enough really cold days in Los Angeles to get your dwarf beards to bloom.

Ah, yes, Indashade is correct. I should have checked your growing zone before I posted. Chances are you don't have enough winter chill to trigger bloom in most dwarf beardeds, though I believe there are a few dwarfs out there that are reported to bloom decently in warm climates.

Laurie