Fall care of Iris

[wkapechuk]

Should Iris and Daylillies be cut back in the fall, or should I leave the foliage through the Winter? We are located in zone 5. Thanks.

Walt

[hummerNut]

I'm in zone 5 also. We do nothing special to either of the plants mentioned, just let Mother Nature do her thing, the coming frost and freeze, will take care of any cutting back, that's needed. You could bank them with leaves, if they are out in the open, unprotected, but ours mostly take care of themselves.

[karenl]

Hi!
I am in zone 5 also. I would leave the daylilies alone, but cut back the irises to about 2 inches after the frosts have stopped the growing season. This way, you might be able to prevent loss from iris borers. The iris borer moth lays her eggs in the leaves in the fall, and in the spring, they hatch, and the larvae burrow down to the corms. Good luck!

[wkapechuk]

Thanks for the replies. I have left them alone in the past, but they always looked so ratty in the spring, I was beginning to wonder if I was doing the wrong thing. I'll try cutting back the Iris and leave the daylilies alone.

Thanks again

[hummerNut]

I'll also cut ours back. Thanks for the advise, guess sometimes, people know better than M/Nature,

[adele]

Hi I think I will cut mine back. This year for the first time my irises got some kind of disease. I slowly cut them back in an attempt to keep them healthy

[AllGreenThumbs]

Hi,
I'm in Ohio, zone 5b. I've been a landscaper for 15 years or so and always cut my daylilies to the ground after the first frost just to tidy up my beds. I also cut my Iris to a couple of inches as soon as they start looking floppy and ratty any time during the growing season. They grow new leaves, which looks much better anyhow. After the first frost, I cut them back again to a couple of inches.
It's all just a matter of personal preference to cut back or not to cut back for these two perennials.

Becki