Hard to see clearly, but they look like iris....done flowering in late May/early June.....post a pic of the tubers/rhizomes for a definite ID.....if they are iris, then yoyu should replant them now, so they can get rooted and anchored before the winter frost heaves them out......

there is an iris forum ....

they should NOT be very damp .... if at all ... they are planted on the surface .... roots in soil ...

we need a bit more definition on your pix .... i think iris too ... but i cant really focus very well

ken

Tulips generally bloom in Spring as do most Siberian & Dutch/bearded irises. There are Japanese irises that bloom in late spring/early summer. Many thousands of daylily cultivars bloom early in the growing season while others bloom mid-season and still more bloom late in the season.

As Ken notes, we'd need closer pictures of the foliage in order to determine what you've got growing. Siberian iris foliage is narrow, upright & strap-like. Dutch/bearded iris foliage is a lighter green, upright and more sword-shaped. Daylily foliage is generally narrow, strap-like and arching. It's difficult to tell what you've got from the picture.

It looks like bearded iris foliage of some sort to me. It also looks like the plant has gone without water for a very long time. That's why it's all sickly & dried up looking and sprawled on the ground. I'm sure it will recover if divided and replanted, but not until next year. Unless of course it's bearded iris infected with iris borer,but that's a whole other conversation.

My bearded iris are still upright, but the foliage is definitely looking tired.

Kevin

Iris! I didn't even consider that. Now that I think about it, I do remember seeing irises emerging when I first looked at the house in May. Yes, it's a sad looking patch and next on my list to work on. Believe it or not, I have been watering it. The entire yard & house has been neglected. Lots of flowers & shrubs had been planted once upon a time. The original owners left the state a few years ago and had been renting the house out until I bought it this summer. The renters did nothing inside and out (except party). It's been quite an undertaking but I'm slowly getting there.. one section at a time! Trying to do what I can now while the weather is nice, then work on the inside over winter, then back to the yard in spring. Lots of work but it'll be worth it. I'm learning as I go and you guys have been a big help.

Thanks for the ID, I'm sure they're irises. Will get them back in the ground in a better location.

Foliage on the right resemble iris. Lilies do not have tubers, they have bulbs(like an onion or something)

This post was edited by wieslaw59 on Mon, Aug 19, 13 at 9:24

I agree with previous posters. Looks like iris on the right and daylilies on the left--- generally a bad mix because of the way both grow. Also, it looks very crowded and tight in that bed --- the plants appear to be crawling out of the parched, hard-packed earth crying, "Save me!"

I'd follow Ken's suggestion to check with the iris forum. They'll give you tips on checking for iris borer, first, and how to divide them and replant so they are happy. Iris shouldn't be grown "downhill" from other plants.

As for the daylilies ----fall is a good time to dig up and divide daylily clumps, but you could do it now too. Though yours, on the left, aren't huge they'd probably enjoy a better environment. I'd dig the whole area up and separate the kinds of plants. Below is a link to a local daylily grower's website. It explains how to dig up and replant them.

Molie

Here is a link that might be useful: Bloomingfields Farm Daylily Planting and Care

Iris may be rotting from too much water. Bearded iris are NOT like normal plants and have their own agenda and needs. For one thing, they do need to get back in the ground ASAP not because they are going to dry out (these are plants that people have forgotten in car trunks for months during the summer and lived) but because they need to get their roots established before winter comes so they can manage snowmelt without rotting.

Thanks all for the advice and molie for the daylilly link! Will study this before rearranging.