Planting Iris bulbs

[Doodle bug7]

I want to plant Iris bulbs and heard that September is the month to do it.
Can someone give me a little insight about planting them. The Iris is my favorite
flower and I want to have a lot of them. One of my big problems about planting flowers is that I have a BLACK thumb. I will kill anything I try to stick in the ground. I can't even have an indoor plant. I think the only thing that I had success with was a cactus.
Well I would appreciate any pointers. Maybe I don't have much luck in this area because It is not one of my favorite things to do. Ya Think?
Truely a believer, Doodle bug7

[weegot5kiz]

Iris's are sturdy if you ask me I transplanted, the last that survived some kind of weed attacked them I moved them all else where, dig a hole doesnt have to be super deep 5-6 inches if that and sept is a good time mine took to the transplant but no bloom this year have been debating cut them back, or see if i get an authum bloom, not sure about this myself. think happy thoughts when you plant lol chase the killing thumb away

[Doodle bug7]

Thank you for responding to my Iris crisis. Believe it or not, last year I stuck some fake flowers in the ground. I know that people who drove by our house would wonder how I have such a beautiful yard even in the dead of winter.
Truely a believer,
Doodle bug7

[jprinz99]

try this site or your local ag or extension office (especially for your regional specifics)

http://www.irises.org/growing.htm

[weegot5kiz]

thank you jprinz was wondering what i could use for fertilizer, didnt realize a lower nitrogen fertilizer would be better, Thanks

[jprinz99]

no problem, happy to help. Around here (zone 7-8) we shoot for a Nitrogen of about 5 (I use an 8-8-8 fertilizer and compost)

[braingonebad]

I have several kinds of iris from huge bearded to dwarf. None of them are planted deep (and they almost never get fertilized, lol). They all do better in dry soil close to the surface, and the less I dig them up, the more they crowd, the better they seem to like it.

Some even bloom in the winter - the big bearded ones. I'd ask at a local nursery - not a big box store - for help, if you need it. I'm in zone 4-5, so what works here may not work for you.