over wintering irises

Hello all,
I am fairly new to raising Irises. I received a few plants from a friend in 2006, she was thinning her bed and I transplanted them in the middle of summer here in WV.,It was vey hot and I cut the leaves back and babied them all summer and fall. This spring they were amazing the size and beauty of them.
My mother-in-law gave me some that she had bought in the sixties and paid big money in that time for them. Due to health problems she had them dug up and placed in a concrete planter. When she saw mine she wanted me to have hers to raise.
They were about 2 in high and not doing good. I transplanted and babied them and the grew to about 18 in tall this summer. no blooms .
I have them covered for winter but just read today not to use wood mulch, I did.
What can I cover them with now? Please help!!

Remove the wood mulch and cover your irises with evergreen boughs, instead. There should be LOTS of them around right now. Just strip the branches off of discarded Christmas trees, garlands, and wreaths and use those. Don't layer them on heavily. Just lay a few branches so that the sun won't hit the soil and cause thawing and freezing cycles.

Laurie

I will get some and do that. There is a couple inches of new snow on them right now.
I have another question, last winter I do not remembe rthe leaves turning brown, but this year it has been alot colder, is it normal for the leaves to turn brown and fall over? This might be a stupid question to some but I have never raised irises before.
Thanks Taj12

Yes, it's perfectly normal for iris leaves to die back in cold weather.

yes,, those leaves will die back normally. I think the most important thing with Iris is not to let them get too wet or buried too deeply..
Elaine

Hello Everyone ,
I wanted to share a couple of pics with you all to show that with your good advice my irises made it through the winter.

I think this might be "Afternoon Delight"
Thanks so much for the help.
taj12

Another pic,
noid ?

and one more
noid also.

the second one could be "Violet Harmony"

Congratulations! They look lovely!

How pretty. Good job,
Elaine

Congrats, good job!

Your tall blue probably is iris pallida. It should have a very strong grape smell?

Lovely looking blooms. Did something very right.