A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Cutting back Iris leaves, and a tulip bulb question

I cut the dead flowers and stems off after they bloomed this year. Not all of them even bloomed, maybe because they were first year plants?? Anyway, when do I cut down the rest of the leaves? I was going to leave them until the fall, so that maybe next year they will ALL bloom??

My other question is about tulip bulbs. The local library was digging up all their bulbs and giving them away. Should I plant them now, or in the fall? Right now they are in a paper bag in my garage!

I wouldnt recommend cutting the leaves until they turn brown. They store nutrients in the leaves for the next year. Hope this helps.

Karen

I let my iris leaves die back, then rack them up. If you're in Michigan, I'd wait before planting the tulip bulbs. Someone from a cold place correct that if it's not true.