Rita, I forgot the part where I'm digging up over 75 iris to give away that already have designated homes, and the other half of the newbies will be added rhizomes to existing plants. You see, almost all of my plants never get anywhere near the size of yours because of my soil and my fear of overfertilization and soft rot in our heat. I have to use the mulch in this one large bed to keep everything from frying in the summer sun and to enable me to water there only every other day. That's the only bed that is really stressed -- and wouldn't you know it's the one where I have all my new expensive iris! But the summer mulch works pretty well, and I try keep it a couple of inches away from each rhizome. By Sept. the sun won't be directly overhead anymore, so I can remove the mulch -- and away I go!

Betty, if I had to do that each year I would never be gardening. I know I do chuck out and replace some but not very many. Too much work

I am late posting my pictures but here they are now.

Here is the backyard iris row all done.



Here is a little corner pocket.



Here are some of those iris I moved that were in back of a dayliliy bed.

Here is Iris Corner before I started.



Iris Corner after I was done.



Further view. Iris Corner is right by my neighbors driveway.



And a closeup of a replanted one. It used to be three times this size.

Rita, it looks fantastic! I read somewhere to cut stalks as close to the ground as possible, so I just whack away. By the time I'm finished (will I ever be finished?) my stalks will be cut down to the top of the rhizomes.

Betty, I just usually leave my stalks pretty much the way you see them there on that replanted iris. I like to leave some stalk because then I can very easily see which is the old bloomed out mother rhizome.

Looking good, Rita! Those look perfect size to get some good bloom next year. You must really have the touch with irises as they grew very large in just a couple of years.

Polly, the first year I bought I bought from Schreiners. Not only their own intros but their others for sale. They grew like weeds. Everything I buy from Schrieners grows like weeds. The iris bed upstairs in my weeding thread I bought from other places and it has not increased like my Schreiners iris do. Next time I want to buy I am just going back to Schreiners.

Well, a month later exactly. And here is iris corner again today. They really haven't done much of anything since I divided and replanted. Maybe I expected them to grow too quickly?



Iris row up in the backyard looks like it has grown faster since the dividing. But then I did start up there so it did have a little more time than Iris Corner which is were I finished up my dividing.

Maybe you do expect them to grow a little too quickly, but I do see signs of new growth. They look good to me.

Thanks, Polly. I guess I am the impatient kind

I started working on my front iris beds just about a week ago, and I'm almost done now. My sis helped me yesterday and is in the first photo, and you can see my little stool in the second bed. But if you look at my freshly fanned irises, you can tell that they're pretty small -- and some of them have been in the ground for quite a few years now. I'm not that great an iris grower and don't fertilize that much, plus I really don't want them to get that large because I have so many jammed into these three beds. Also, you might note that I have mine planted deeper than yours, Rita, and that's because I've found that this is the best depth for handling our summer heat. I am so thrilled to get these beds cleaned and the irises fanned because next I have to start digging up the rhizomes I'm giving away -- almost 100 this year have been promised to others. Then I'll start planting the newbies in my beds. And at the same time I need to clean and prune the beds in the back yard, dig rhizomes and then plant more newbies -- Whew! Then it's on to fertilizing and the last thing will be an application of Preen in all my iris beds. And since we're heading for the beach for a week on Oct. 6th, I can guarantee that it will take me until the end of October to accomplish all this because I have to pace myself and I work really really slowly -- a perfectionist, I guess...

Betty, I love your terraced iris beds. Dividing those darn iris is a really BIG job, no wonder you expect it to take till the end of October. They do look good to me though

Thanks Rita. I actually have less than a dozen where I have to dig just a rhizome or two out of a clump for someone, and with all the rest I'll be digging the entire clump (if you can call them clumps!) to give away. I use my soil knift to extricate just one or two selected rhizomes from the group so I can leave the rest undisturbed -- really works! And when I dig up a whole clump I use my spading fork and it's fantastic -- lifts the whole thing really easily. I learned about both the soil knife and the spading fork through one of the forums on DG, and I'm so thankful I have them. Also, my soil is very silty and cuts like butter. It can be totally sopping wet and I can walk right over the top and not get my shoes/flipflops muddy -- sort of like walking at the beach when you walk on the part that is freshly wet. That's the good part -- and the bad part is that water passes right through it very fast and the soil doesn't hold it, so I have to water a lot. But since I don't have a lot of strength in my hands my soil is perfect for me. My sister has heavy clay soil, and I can't even get a hand trowel down into it! So I'll take mine any day.

Great job on the digging and dividing!! I just finished dividing 13 varieties.
Here is what I dug…
Village Gossip (48)
Sugar Magnolia (67)
Ringo (71)
Dreamsicle (67)
Mystic’s Muse (43)
Last Chance (92)
Anvil of Darkness (72)
Poem of Ecstasy (90)
Suspicion (78)
Slovak Prince (72)
Gypsy Romance (117)
Voodoo Child (50)
Coral Sunset (34)
Queen’s Circle (15)…just took out some of them to improve air circulation.
That’s a total of 916 rhizomes. I kept just 9 from each variety and gave the rest away. I also got most of these from Schreiner's. They ARE very strong plants and multiply quickly. My newly planted patches will definitely need dividing again in 2 to 3 years. I have others that should be divided but I did the thickest ones first. The rest can wait until next year. I need to start cutting down the daylily scapes very soon now. Some are done blooming and many more are getting there.
Happy digging--dividing--and cutting back!!
Sue

Wow, Sue you had a bunch. It can be a task, but it's fun to share them with friends. I ususally have a sale each summer and just dig them as people come to buy them. I don't charge much, but I found that often when I just gave them away people wouldn't plant them. If they invest a bit, it seems like they plant them then. Before you know it, you have your clumps trimmed down and you didn't expend a lot of time at it all at once. Also It's fun to trade them on here with people who have some that you want.

Wow! Somebody's not having any problem with Slovak Prince!!

Sue -- you must have very happy Irises!

Slovak Prince is happy here. We usually have plenty at our yearly sale.

I would like to start trading iris and daylilies. I am new to shipping. Have never done it. Is there a forum for preparing and shipping iris AND daylilies? What are the dos and don'ts?
Sue

yes, Sue, there is a 'packing and sending rhizome' thread on this same site for irises. Don't know where you will find that information about daylilies but the folks on here will know. smiles