Beauty is in the Iris of the Beholder...help!

[House on the Prairie]

My 1950's home is surrounded by azaleas and iris plants. Unfortunately for me, they are horribly overgrown and in the wrong locations for what we'd eventually like to do with the yard. I don't see the need to purchase new plants if I can salvage them--the question is, is it possible? Can I take trimmed down azalea stumps and transplant them? What's the best way to move iris bulbs?

Any help you can give would be appreciated!

[flip_it_fast]

I wasn't real sure about either of your questions but I did already know that you shouldn't move the Iris's until after the blooming season.

Here is a link that explains step by step how to move the Iris's.

Moving Iris's


As for transplanting Azalea's. Wait until the weather is cool. You want to minimize the shock to the plants. So transplant in the early morning or evening.

Moving azalea's

I hope this helped ya! I also hope that the plants pull through for ya.

[House on the Prairie]

Thank you so much for the links! They are very helpful. I'll see what my black thumb can do once the weather cools down a bit. I guess we're not out much if they don't make it--we would have pulled them anyway. If only there was a pretty flowering bush that is as prolific as the English Ivy I keep pulling out of the ground. What a menace!!

[flippinout]

Rofl, hmmmm so theres a proper way to do it is there? Lol.

Every fall, when my Irises start looking shabby and need to be cut back for the next season, I go out, dig up what I want to move, dig a hole where I want them moved to and Im done.

The next spring, the transplanted ones bloom right along with the older more settled plants.

As to the azalea bushes, same deal. I get the urge to move them or plant them, I just do it. I water the azaleas for a few days and thats another chore done.

Gheesh now Im going to have a complex cause I dont do these things according to the "book". But, all my plants are happy and doing great so there must be something to my technique, eh?

[homealone]

I have a question for you. At my old man's place his family had planted a rose bush right next to his porch steps.



This was to the point that it pretty much covered the porch steps making it very difficult to walk up and down the steps to enter and exit the house. Though as you can see by the picture we have tied the plant to get it up off the steps.

Though what I am wanting to do is just move the plant to the other side of the porch where it will be able to grow and bush out how ever it pleases.

Any suggestions on how to move a rose bush and when is the best time to do it??

[flippinout]

Right now, trim away all of the dead parts of the rose bush and check for any diseases then transplant it when it is completely dormant. That would be during the last part of October to the first part of November.

Come spring, you will have a very happy, healthy rosebush. Hope this helps you out.

I also see that your hostases need some attention. About the end of the month, trim them down an then in the spring, they will also be much healthier plants.

[homealone]

Yeah my sweetie does NOT have a green thumb that is for sure. I have to learn how to take care of all his plants in an attempt to keep them alive.

Thanks for the tips on these flowers. I like the way that they both look but they are both in serious need of help. Hopefully after trimming them back and getting the rose bush moved that they will be much happier and come back looking much better next year!!

Another question I have for you since you know a lot about flowers. The area where the rose bush is planted gets a lot of direct sunlight. I am wanting to plant some flowers there come next year that will add a lot of color to his front yard but won't tend to over take the hostases or the front steps, can you suggest anything along those lines?

Sure would appreciate it, and the easier the flowers are to care of the better off they are most likely going to be also because I don't have much of a green thumb either, but mine is much better than his is,LOL.

[flippinout]

Tulips are a very colorful flower that can take full sun but they come up in the early spring and only last a week or so. So on to other possibilities.

Crocuses are another pretty flower that come in white, yellow, blue and purple.

Daffodils are another flower that would do well the area you are wanting to fill in.



Coleus is another pretty plant with very colorful and varigated leaves.



Impatiens come in a wide variety of colors and are prolific bloomers.

And to insure blooms into the fall try these Marigolds.



And to be different, try some Cabbages and Kale.




These give you a wide variety of flowers for in front of your porch. And I have never seen the Cabbages and Kale before. Im going to invest in some of those.

[flippinout]

Hey I just took a good look at the front of his house and it sure needs some color.

How about this since the house is cream colored siding with white trim.



Try the deep coral for your front door then add a wreath with bright green leaves and pastel flowers on it.

And the front steps sure need some color. You could either go with gray steps or how about this making the steps green. That should brighten things up for you.

[homealone]

While I was reading what you had posted I was on the phone with him and I was informing him of the suggestions that you made on the flowers that would be good for the front yard of his home and of course the colors for the steps.

The door he does refuse to paint because it is brand new. Though he did agree that the porch steps really do need to be painted. I guess the previous owners of his house had glued on some outdoor carpeting to the steps and then of course as you can see it has come off which is why the steps look so bad.

He has agreed that they do need to be painted and that will help to brighten things up a bit. Before the rose bush was tied back, you really could not see the steps, well that and the fact you were busy trying to avoid getting scratched by the thorns of the bush instead of looking at the steps.

I really look forward to getting his plants moved and back into shape so that his home can start looking better and better.

Thanks so much for all of your ideas and the tips as well. They will come in handy as I start working on his place and increasing his curb appeal.