best way (layout) to plant iris

I'm enlargeing my front bed to include more area for iris and daylilies. Decor is NOT my forte. When grouping iris with daylilies (18-20" apart ?). What looks best with regards to color? I have several nice iris that I may have only 1 fan of.
Any ideas appreciated.
charlotte

I prefer to plant complementary colors together - pinks with blues, yellows with peaches, whites with white ground plicatas, etc. I find that similar colors compete with, rather than complement each other, so I don't plant them together. Also, if you are growing named cultivars, it's a whole lot easier to figure out which is which when garden labels go missing if you don't have similar colors planted together.

Laurie

i need to know what I can divide my iris rhizomes so I can give some away to co-workers

I have them both in a few beds planted together in a checkboard pattern more of less... this helps to when you want the right one - dont have to worry so much if you got the Dl on the Right or left! On the whole the Iris like it on the drier side so I have them planted a little raised above the soil level (but my ground never gets hard in winter so they dont heave) to help they stay drier.

In my mixed beds, I have the irises planted in the center and the daylilies on the outside. This works for several reasons. One is that the iris bloom so tall that they stick out of the daylilies nicely without looking spindly or top heavy...especially upon first year bloom. Another reason is that it allows me to mulch the front of the bed without worrying about burying my rhizomes too deeply. The last reason is that the daylily foliage covers the dying or leaf spotted iris foliage nicely.

Like laurief, I find that like colors compete with rather than compliment each other. I put soft colors with other soft colors and likewise put loud colors with other loud colors, but I make sure they're not the same. For example, I may put a bright purple with a bright orange or bright yellow or a soft pink with a lavender or pale yellow.

Another great plant to mix into your beds are peonies. They bloom around the same time as the TBs and the bright colors and huge blooms will really compliment your irises.

Laura