I got an email from a reader of our column who asked why their iris was rotting fast at the root. This question caused me to think about a friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. Unfortunately ...

Q: I discovered some very fat borers in the rhizomes of my large blue iris. I pulled everything out and burned it, then rototilled heavily. I ordered new iris but am afraid the borers will come back.

Irises are by far one of the easiest and most reliable plants to grow in Kansas, but sometimes a hidden insect pest affects their ability to bloom. Even my garden has been subject to an infestation of ...

Q. I dug up my iris bed last week. Wow, what a job! The soil was like digging in rock. Anyhow, about half the iris had an ugly old worm inside, and did they ever stink. Could I have saved them? I just ...

Finally, did it. I pruned off the ends of my pumpkin, winter squash and cantaloupe in a timely manner. If your cantaloupe are smaller than a golf ball, pinch them off. This will give the plant more ...

Q. A few of my beautiful bearded iris plants are showing signs of borers. Do I have to get rid of all the iris if just a few plants have symptoms? –Bernadine Jones, Chicago A. If the iris foliage has ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The Church publishes the Monitor ...

Some rhizomes of my bearded iris smell rotten. When I dig them up, they’re like mush. Leaves are dying, or gooey or fine. What do I do? Iris borers are pale, hairless caterpillars of a moth. In early ...

Dear Dr. Dirt: My iris bloomed early this year, but some of the flower stalks fell over. I thought the flowers were simply too heavy, but the stems were mushy near ground level. Was it too much rain ...

Earl of Greenville has iris borers in one planting bed and wants to prevent their spreading to the other locations. The iris borer is the most devastating insect pest of iris. The larval stage causes ...