- 1). Choose an area where the soil drains well and the Dutch iris will be in sunlight all day. Don't choose a place where water puddles for more than four hours after a rain. If the soil doesn't drain well, it can be improved by putting 2 to 3 inches of mixing compost, ground bark, peat moss or well-rotted manure into the soil.
- 2). Dig a hole for each Dutch iris bulb. Plant the bulbs 4 inches deep and leave 3 inches between each bulb. Soak the area thoroughly after you finish planting the bulbs. After this, keep the soil moist during the growing season, but don't soak it. Stop watering after the foliage wilts in summer.
- 3). Spread a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch over the bulbs if you live where the winter temperatures will fall below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Replace the mulch through the winter if it deteriorates or blows away. Remove it in early spring so the shoots can emerge through the soil.
- 4). Cut the Dutch iris blooms as often as you like. It won't harm the plant. Don't remove the greenery when the plant is done blooming in summer. Wait until the leaves wilt and turn yellow. It's then safe to remove them. The bulbs need the energy provided by the green foliage.
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