Finished my Iris Moving projects

Yesterday I started moving some entire clumps of TB iris. These were little mini clumps from iris planted last year so they didn't need dividing. I just wanted to move them into the front yard.

Afew weeks ago I finished my project in the front yard were I added another layer and therefore more iris room to my little mini iris garden in the front yard. I wanted to use the iris I already had for there to make it have a big impact right away as its out in the front by the street. The few TB iris I already had there this spring were a very big hit with neighbors and passersby. Truth be told, I wanted even more of a wow factor. So I moved iris into there and now it matches size of the clumps that were already there in the older part. I also moved some more clumps into the front section running atop my stacked stone wall.

Yesterday I had moved about 4, today 7 more. I have to take a picture, it looks good. Going to look even better next spring when they all bloom.

First I transplanted more iris out by the stacked stone wall out front.

I wanted the area betwen the hummingbird mints to be full so I used clumps that I transplanted from the backyard.

This message was edited Jul 26, 2010 12:53 PM

finished

another view

Looks great Rita! LOVE that stone wall!

Great job done! Looking really nice! Can't wait to see them next spring!

Beautiful!!!

It looks great Rita -- and I've already seen photos of your display in bloom, so I know this will look spectacular. But I do have a question -- am I the only one who cuts the leaves back to fans even when moving clumps? I hope I get some feedback on this because I've got about twenty-five clumps to move in the next week or so!!

I also "fan" my irises when I move them, although it's usually Sept. or Oct. when I do that. I try to let them go through the summer with the leaves longer, although occasionally I will trim off the brown areas just to improve their look. Then I fertilize a few weeks after I've transplanted and cut everything back with a 6-10-10 and I'm ready for winter. I guess if the leaves don't droop after transplanting it's OK to not cut them back, but if they really droop I think it's time to fan them.

Rita, I love your flower beds and everything looks so fantastic and GREEN at your place. How I envy that! I'm trying to get by with my touch-up hand watering every other day this summer rather than every day, and boy you can sure tell everything's a little water starved, bless their hearts. We did have more rain this spring than usual, but we're still in drought conditions here, so I'm trying to be good. Plus it's so nice to stay indoors every other late afternoon when it's over 100 outside!!!

We usually cut the leaves about half way back when we move them. It helps prevent much water loss. Unless terribley brown the leave stay on the plants which stay in place.

That really looks so pretty! It seems a gardener's work is never done.

Ah. Thanks for the input -- and glad to hear it. I always thought that it's easier on the plant (roots) to not have so much greenery to support, while it's busy resettling into a new location. I think I'll continue to cut back the leaves on the clumps that I move. :-D

Now if the weather would just cool off a little so I can get this work done without killing myself.................

I moved iris last fall also. I never cut the leaves back. I didn't realize I was supposed to. Now they look settled in and fine so I don't see any reason to cut the leaves. But I am taking them with lots of dirt around the roots, not bare root planing.