Old iris garden?

I bought this home a couple of years ago from the original owner (circa 1960), and he had an old iris garden on my heavily sloped back yard. I want to re-work this garden but don't know how best to preserve the old irises, which are beautiful. Can anyone help with advice?

Thank you all!

Well, I'm betting they need a good "dividing", and thinning. And probably the soil needs a little help, as well. A good place to start is in the ' Guides & Information" section (see the top of this page, and give it a "click") there are several "articles" on digging ,dividing ,fertilizing, etc., that should get you well on your way. here's onehttp://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/4318/

Irises are easier to take care of then most people think. we moved into an old brick farm house with old pre 1960's iris on a slope ourself in 2006 and that is what sparked our interest in saving old irises. First thing to do is start weeding around them..took my adult son two seasons to get all the poison oak vines and little sweet gum tree saplings and old debris and caked 8 inch thick leaves that had turned into cement and not broke down out also had two cut two stumps out with a little mini hand saw 2nd season . After You accomplish this my opinion is to get a bag of Epsoma bulb Tone like a 20lb bag of 4-5 4 lb bads that should be enough for a fairly large hillside. Next Year You can work on pulling up some of the clumps and thinning them out abit so there not so close together some of the oldest clumps if You pull them up with a shovel will have a big long mother rhizome with like a notched 10 inch long or longer rhizomes, separate that off the clump and feel it live ones will be hard break those up and plant them somewhere else or give those away..at the very back of that the oldest part will be soft and dried up and dead toss it and then put the clump right back where it was put before you do that there is probably quack grass and onion grass weeds that wrap themselves around the roots and clump.. remove those weeds that are wraped up down in the clump as this is easier now that the clumps up. than the 3rd year thin them aout alittle more so fertilizer will get to them even better and more room for the colony to breathe. You will get a feel for it.. it is easier than you think. then the only thing you have to do is add colors you dont yet have to improve on your rainbow.. and also the weeding atleast by hand without pulling up clumps after that is an every year thing.. as is fertilizing once in Spring and Once in Fall. Also be carefull who you dig iris up from in surrounding neighboorhoods if they share or you just have to add some of those to the bed as you can bring leaf spot and crown rot diseases into your pristine bed that may never had been expose to it if it was not disturbed in decades. Good Luck :)

Thank you both for your replies. I feel now like I can do this! Based on the article above, it looks like I'll need to wait until after the irises have bloomed to start digging, right?
Alison

Yes, after bloom s done would be the time to start the major digging /dividing / replanting....but weed and grass removal can be worked on anytime.....and a little fertilizer now might be a good thing ! And remember, it doesn't have to happen all at once....a section this year, some the next.........spread it out if you need to, in order to make the job more managable

Thanks crowrita. I'm sure I'll have to spread it out over a couple of years, although I admit that I do become pretty obsessed when working on my gardens! :)

I've found as I get older....it REALLY pays to 'pace yourself "!!! It will be very interesting to see just what surprises are growing in that "old" bed ! good luck with your project !