Irises: Will This Work?, 0 by DreamOfSpring

DreamOfSpring wrote:
I've not divided any of my irises yet. I figure this one will need it in the coming years, but so far it is still putting on a bigger and better show each year, so I'd rather hold off on the dividing for now.

I promised a piece of it to a neighbor, however. I was wondering if I could separate a single rhizome for her by just pushing a shovel or 'fork' into the ground between the main body of the plant and a section that is a few inches away. I was hoping I could just use a shovel or fork to separate that side piece from the rest and then just dig that piece up for her without disturbing the rest of the plant. Has anyone tried that? Will it work? Any warnings?

I should add that daytime temps here are still in the 70's and low 80's with nighttime lows in the 60's, so I'd like to do this now. Thanks for your help.