Q. I have a section of a planting bed two 1/2 wide running north & south along the west side of a fence. It gets plenty of afternoon sun. The problem is that the Irises, which used to bloom there haven’t bloomed in several years even after lifting & dividing. Also I tried some Peonys and I’m seeing root rot. With white rhizome looking lines. Is the soil not draining properly? How do I fix it? Ward Neils – Tacoma, WA
A. Thanks for letting me know about the root rot on your peonies since this indicates to me that the soil stays wet. This makes the Peonies prone to root rot. Although some Iris are suitable for wet sites not all are. The best varieties for wet sites are Japanese (Iris ensata) Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudoacorus) Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica), and Blue Flag Iris, (Iris versicolor). Other Iris do not do as well in wet soil conditions. Although crowding (solved by division) is one of the conditions sited when Iris fail to bloom regularly, there are other conditions that can also be causing this problem. One example is when an area receives less light over the years due to the growth of nearby trees or shrubs. Two other examples are planting the rhizomes too deep and over fertilization. Assess your situation and determine which may be the culprit and correct the condition or conditions if more than one applies. A solution for wet soil is to build raised beds along the fence. Pruning nearby trees and shrubs to allow additional light, testing your soil (with a SOIL TEST KIT )before fertilizing will ensure proper fertilization and a shallower replanting would address the planting depth issue.