Returned to Blue Flag Iris after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Blue Flag Iris failed — root-eating by water lily aphids or china mark moth got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to dividing overcrowded plants every two or three years in spring, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a stream edge or bog garden and natural filtration improving water clarity and quality is on full display. peak flowering period in midsummer this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.