I need to ship this plant out tomorrow to a better climate than here (Ft LAuderdale) It has large roots maybe 6 - 10 inches across and good sized fans. Someone please, and keep it simple for this simple simonette, how do I divide it without murdering it?
Ah sometimes ya just don't see it until you look at it in a picture. Would you divide it at the base/bulb of each one of those fans? What to split it with?
Molly
OH yes, and when I ship it should I cut off the top fans so when it's planted it can devote it's first growing power to the roots?
Thanks in advance!!!!!
:^)
Molly
Molly,
I just happen to have written several FAQs about preparing irises for shipping and about digging and dividing, which you can find linked below:
http://www.angelfire.com/mn3/shadowood/irisfaq.html
Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Happy digging,
Laurie
Laurie,
That is a great site, very informative and easy to understand. It answered 2 or 3 questions in my mind. The only thing I didn't see discussed is a question only a long time Florida resident would ask. What do you do about the Iris, for snow and cold. Like Zone 5b?
Thanks so much. I'm sending that site to my sister. :^)
Molly
Molly,
I'm glad you find my site useful. I add new photo pages to it every year after bloom season. In terms of growing irises here in the north, I don't bother to mulch the beardeds, though some folks do mulch with evergreen boughs after the ground has frozen in early winter. I prefer to plant as early as possible (before the end of July) to allow the irises to root in well before winter.
Snow and cold isn't generally a problem for bearded irises. It's the freeze/thaw cycles of fall and spring that can cause them to weaken and rot.
Laurie
Thank you so much Laurie, you have been a great help.
:^)
Molly
Laurie,
I really enjoyed your iris page too. It doesn't hurt to remind me what to do right as I enter planting season.
Molly, I'd love an iris, and I have a special place for it. All I have are unknown daylilies, a few named dwarf cannas, rainbow caladiums, and maybe a vareigated hosta
I'm sorry Space, I already sent them all out. If you are trading out some of the cannas or caladiums, check out my trade list and my member store to see if there is anything else you would like to trade for.
What kind of dwarf cannas? and do you have a picture of the rainbow caladiums? I have some other caladiums but they are the common ones being sold at the checkout counter of Home Depot. I'll check you wants list if you have one. I have a gazillion seeds that I have no idea what I will do with. LMK
Molly
