Drastic measures

Hello All,

I have some irises in the bed at the front of the yard. They have not yet begun to bloom.

The bed, unfortunately, has become over run with weeds and it will be impossible to hand weed it all.

My idea is to dig out all of the irises and the bulbs (which have finished blooming anyway) and then spray with Round-Up and remulch. After trimming up the foliage and separating the clumps I plan to replant the irises in the same bed as before.

My question...... Will I be making a huge mistake to dig and move them now? I know that it is normal to dig and divide them later in the season but I need to get this bed rehabilitated before hot weather arrives in full force.

I moved the irises to the front at about this time of year back in 1999. As far as I can remember I didn't have any blooms that season but they have bloomed every year since.

Your thoughts and advice will be appreciated.

Good Gardening!

Aubrey

As long as your temps are moderate, there's no harm in digging them now as long as you don't mind losing this year's bloom. Be sure you rejuvenate the bed with compost and any other necessary amendments before replanting. There's no sense going to all that work just to replant into nutritionally depleted soil.

Laurie