Miscreant Irises

I have a problem with irises. Although I like the flower, the foliage doesn't do anything for me, and the foliage lasts a long time. Plus, they have always seem to be a bit promiscuous and untidy in their division, which offends my Victorian sensibilities, I guess.

Imagine my delight when we bought a house with an entire bed of irises.

It's not a big area, maybe 8 feet, but it was on both sides of a fence and a mess. My strategy was 1.) clean out the beds on both sides of the fence, 2.) insert shrubs that can stand up to the irises on the East side of fence 3.) replant a small fraction of the bulbs along with some heirloom irises (for sentimental reasons) on the West side of the fence and 4.) hope for the best.

The irises won. See irises below, crowding the spirea.



And encroaching on the peony and hosta territory.



One of the heirloom irises bloomed--the first. This iris have been passed down from my great-grandmother. It smells like grape Kool-Aid.