Iris 'Lady Beatrix Stanley'

I have some of the Iris sibirica...in the good soil of the back garden beds they only produced leaves last year...but in the front garden where the soil is full of shale and sand and probably road salt...they emerged and bloomed wonderfully! what's at work there, Bulbaholic? great little plants and they bloom as the snow is receding....that's usually late April over here.

Hi Lori, I am wondering if you are talking about Iris sibirica or an form of Iris reticulata. Sibirica is a tall stately plant about waist to chest high with purple/blue flowers in summer on ramrod straight stems. My picture is representative of the reticulata type bulbs flowering at the time of snow melt.
Iris sibirica would probably prefer the good, deep soil of your back garden whilst reticulata types like really good drainage.
Have the iris in the back garden been there for several years? If so, they may have become too compact and would benefit from being divided. If, from the above, you still think that they are sibirica leave them until autumn as the leaves start to die back. If you think that they may be reticulata types then wait until the leaves have died back into the bulbs in summer. I hope that this helps a little.
By the way, congratulations on getting rid of your grass. We removed our last area of lawn several years ago and the garden is all under cultivation.

Yes... Bulbaholic...you are right ...I have both, actually, but was thinking of the reticulata and writing sibirica.... I have pics of my sibirica too...it is wonderful...I love the foliage as much as the blossom...thought I had lost most of my largest clump last spring when I discovered the the voles like them as much as I do...they had feasted on them all winter long...but true to their hardy reputation the sibirica came back and produced another nice stand ...they do very well in proximity to my pond..but because I did a lot of digging and moving about last spring when changing my pond around they were not as plentiful as the previous season...one of my fav plants in the garden..Since I will be moving this spring I will be taking them with me too!!

Georgous pattern on the petal

Amazing flower

Good-looking! I like it very muchu!