Need advise about transplants

Yesterday I had to dig up a significant clump of iris due to an invaisve plant which needed to be removed. Blue mist flower was taking over my bed and I made the decision to remove all the plants to remove as much of this invasive plant as possible. My question is: What would you do with the iris transplants this time of the year to improve the changes of still getting blooms this year? Would you cut the foliage as I would normally do when transplanting in the fall, or leave it as is? Would you feed them (organic solution) to minimize transplant shock? I live in a mild climate, next week promises to be in the mid 70's to low 80's. I have about 50 iris to replant :(

Carolyn

Unfortunately since you want to get rid of the invasive plant I am assuming that all dirt was removed. Thus the roots were disturbed. I would still plant it back, treat it for stress ( I us a wetable powder of 5-50-5 1/4 to 1/2 strength to soak the new hole and plant the clump. Then I think you have to wait and see, but truthfully I do not think it would work but Irises have a way of surprizing you
:)
A

Yes, Iris do have a mind of their own. You can pamper them, feed them, pray over them and they still don't bloom. Or you can toss them into the woods (if you find you have more iris than friends to share with) and they will root and bloom their little heads off. Time will tell, but thank you so much for the post especially about the wetable powder. I'll be reseaching this as I'm not familiar with it.

Carolyn

Tx, I had to laugh at your remark about tossing into the woods - one of my favourite old irises, my husband found as just that - a heap of iris rhizomes someone had thrown over their fence into the wild bit behind their property.

Unexpected delight, Cheryl.

We once found about two dozen at the dump, brought them home and had them for years until I gave them away to others since I needed the room.

You just never know about plants. The ones you don't want grow like mad, and the ones you dearly love perish without notice. I am fortunate to have several acres and a husband who gave me an acre just for my passion. With this blessed acre I have divided and replanted many of my 'babies', but over the years I have found some multiply faster than I can find friends to give them to, so many times into the compost pile, woods or creek they have gone. I have cannas, iris and ruella growing in all three of these places. The lesson here is, sun loving plants can and will adapt to shade, shade loving plants can and will live in the compost pile, flooding waters in the creek will not deter a determined canna!

Carolyn

A neighbour at our old place, had dug up and thrown down the front bank into the tangle of blackberry bushes, quite a few red crocosmia bulbs.

The next summer, he laughed to see those distinctive red flowers blooming up through the blackberries.