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Primrose / Hyacinch / Irises

SonnieBSonnieB Posts: 124
Hello all
As you can see from my photos my primroses, Hyacinch and Irises are looking pretty rubbish now.  My question is what do I do with them?  Do I did them up or cut them back or do I just leave them.  Any advice will be appreciated.

Many thanks 
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Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Primroses just remove the flower heads, you can split them now if you want more plants but you will have to water. With the other two it is a question of letting them dieback naturally.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    If the hyacinths & crocuses are in the way, you can dig them up and put them in a pot so the leaves can die down.  The leaves make food for the bulb for next year, so if you cut them off while they're green the bulb won't flower as well next year.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • SonnieBSonnieB Posts: 124
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Where are the Irises?
    Did you mean the crocus?  :)
    It's worth removing all the bits of grass and weeds too. It's all competition for nutrients that the bulbs need. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • SonnieBSonnieB Posts: 124
    Hi @Fairygirl, all this time I thought they were irises😳  I'm going to do what @Liriodendron suggested and repot them to die off. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited May 2022
    That's ideal, although you can just keep them there unless you want to plant other things in that spot.  :)

    Although - perhaps they were reticulata irises you had? I don't think it looks like their foliage though. Can you remember what the flowers were like? If it's those, they don't always do well in subsequent years, but crocus are fine.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    I reckon they're crocus, @Fairygirl - that light stripe down the middle of the leaf is typical.   :)
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That was my thought @Liriodendron, although there aren't any variegated reticulata either - as far as I know, but I suddenly thought it could be an option because of the OP saying Iris  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    The hyacinths are hard as nails, I rip half of them up every year and throw them at any bare patch and they grow back, and pull the leaves before they go over and it doesn't do them any harm. 
  • SonnieBSonnieB Posts: 124
    I have had a look online and the are crocuses.  They were very pretty but didn't last long, I was a bit annoyed by that.  I planted them in Dec and they started flowering in Feb/Mar I think.  So they have looked scruffy for a long time 
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