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...
