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Growing Iris

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - For several weeks this time of year, you can see iris blooming all around. Some iris bloom early, others later in spring, with flowers lasting from two to four weeks, ranging from teensy tiny, just a few inches high, to those up to three feet tall.

What does an iris want? Just a sunny spot in well-drained soil so they don't rot - most things that trouble iris come from sitting in too much moisture. Iris grow from a rhizome -a long tuberous thingy that looks a lot like fresh ginger, which is a rhizome too.

Iris are easy to plant since they don't need to be very deep, just below soil level, so the roots can grow down below and the leaves fan out on top. In fact, that fabulous fan of foliage that stays green for many months is a favorite feature of iris - standing as a distinctive design element in your garden long after the flowers have faded.

Learn more about growing iris:

CES.NCSU.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8506.html

Irises.org/

Reported By Phran Novelli, KYW Newsradio

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