Tall bearded iris varieties are best planted close to fall because they tend to go dormant in early to mid-summer. If you get naked rhizomes or irises in a pot, the best time to lift them is after the plants have finished flowering, from mid-summer to early fall. It's important to cut the plants in the fall. Spent flower stalks can be removed in spring after the plants finish flowering, but the foliage should be allowed to sit through the summer.
In mid-fall, cut the leaves to about 3 inches long above the soil line (here's a video showing how to do that). Then, remove the trimmed foliage from the area, rake up the fall leaves, and remove any other debris that covers the rhizomes.The plants can be left in the pots until October to be planted where they will bloom. In the meantime, the beds or rows of irises that will house the new plants must be prepared when the time comes to dig up the pots; a touch with a trowel will loosen the soil and the root ball. That same trowel should have been used to dig a hole about four inches deep.
For an extra boost, alfalfa granules or a balanced fertilizer can be added to the planting hole. Firm the soil around the plant and water.Schreiner's, one of the largest producers of irises in the world, warns that irises should not receive too much water because it causes rot. Walter Moores grows and hybridizes lilies in his iris gardens on Lake Enid de Moores, near Enid, Mississippi. In order to ensure healthy growth of these beautiful flowers, it's important to remove foliage and other debris from the garden area in fall, leaving the upper part of the rhizomes clear and ready to sprout in spring.Amongst cultivated flowers, lilies add a touch of refined elegance to any garden with their large, intricate flowers in a rainbow of colors that sit on majestic fan-shaped stems of foliage.
To ensure healthy growth of these beautiful flowers, it's important to harvest them at the right time.