Leave or Cut Iris Flowers
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After blooming, iris flowers form seed pods unless the dead heads are cut off. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
“..my irises have died back and are now making seed pods. Should I leave them or cut off the flowers?” — Gary
Leave or Cut Iris Flowers
Hi Gary,
If you want more irises, leave the seed pods. You can cut them off after they dry and store them to plant next year.
If you don’t want more of the pod-generating iris, I would cut them off right after they bloom, that way the plant is not spending energy making the seeds.
I have a number of different gift irises from friends and family throughout my garden. This is one of the newest additions:
One of the new iris to bloom this year in my Missouri limestone hillside garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)
If you want to move your iris, I like to do so right after they bloomed through about early fall. That way the plant roots still have time to settle in before winter. They also will bloom again next year as opposed to waiting a growing cycle or two.
Also remember to mark the fading iris so you remember what color they are. It’s helpful to minimize moves and get them established in their final flower bed so you can enjoy them for years to come.
