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Blind Irises and a plant ID

loliloli Posts: 61
in Plants
I planted bearded irises a 3 years ago. The first year I got a beautiful show of flowers but ever since they have grown blind with fantastic leaves but no flower bud. I’ve tried fertilising, moving location etc but yet again this year nothing has popped up on a stem! Any ideas what I’m doing wrong. 

Also, this pretty leaf has popped up in my pot of osteospermum. Any notion what it could turn out to be!?

Posts

  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    The irises need the tops of their rhizomes to be baked in the sun so that they form flowers the next year. So they might be planted  a bit too deep.

    Sorry, i dont know what that leaf is. 
  • loliloli Posts: 61
    Oh, that’s something that I didn’t know! Explains a lot thanks. I’ll reposition them for next year 
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    Keeping on moving them is not going to encourage flowering either. Probably better just to scrape the soil off the rhizome so it is clear to the sun.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They also prefer a free draining soil, in a nice sunny site, so if your soil's heavy/wet, or they are in too shady a spot, you may get a lot of foliage at the expense of flowers.  :)

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • loliloli Posts: 61
    Perfect thanks, I’ll scrape back the soil. They’re positioned correctly so hopefully that will work. 
  • AsarumAsarum Posts: 661
    Looks a bit like a parsnip to me 😀
    East Anglia
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    I was thinking the same Asarum. Definitely looks bit like wild parsnip, Pastinaca Sativa. But could be totally off the mark there. I'd let it grow, certainly looks like an interesting plant at the moment.
  • Jason-3Jason-3 Posts: 391
    To confuse matters iris need to be divided or thinned every few years. Without this they won' flower. So In essence everything else said above plus thinning or dividing.

    Other than that they are a straightforward plant 😀
  • loliloli Posts: 61
    Borderline said:
    I was thinking the same Asarum. Definitely looks bit like wild parsnip, Pastinaca Sativa. But could be totally off the mark there. I'd let it grow, certainly looks like an interesting plant at the moment.
    Wow! Never expected that suggestion. It does look suspiciously like the parsnip leaf. I’d love to know where that came from though I bought a packet of seeds from poundland that I sprinkled around my beds and pots to fill gaps and I’m sure only eillowherb and grass have grown so maybe we can point the finger at Poundland!. Can’t wait to see how it develops
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