"Easter Lily" Iris?

I don't know anything about irises, so I hope you nice folks can help me out........

My MIL has a patch of solid white irises that are heirlooms. She has always known them as "Easter Lily". I looked up on PF and there are several with Easter in the name- just no solid white ones.
Anyone know of a white one by this name?

Also, they did not bloom well at all this year(in bloom now) and I told her maybe it was /bc they were too crowded??? They do look very crowded, IMO. She has never divided them. I want to thin them out for her and get some for myself, of course.
How do I do this and when is the best time? When can I re-plant them?

P.S. Sorry, I don't have a digicam for a pic!

THANKS for any help !!

There is no iris registered by the name of 'Easter Lily'. It's probably just a garden name given to the iris by someone way back when.

I have instructions for digging and dividing bearded irises on my website at:

http://www.angelfire.com/mn3/shadowood/irisfaq.html

I would guess that in your zone, dividing in the fall (Sept or Oct, maybe?) would be best. You want to avoid the heat of summer while still giving the plants about 6 weeks to root in before your first hard freeze. Chances are the overcrowding is responsible for the diminished bloom. It's also likely that the soil has been depleted of nutrients. It would be a good idea to work in some good compost and any other necessary fertilizer to feed the soil and plants.

Laurie

Hi, berrygirl. I am new here, but I do know the type of iris you are talking about. Down here in this part of GA we also call those old white irises "Easter lilies" because they typically bloom around Easter time. They are actually Iris albicans, I believe, and are also known as Cemetery Iris and White Flags. They are practically indestructible as many still survive and bloom around old abandoned homeplaces. Hope this helps.

Pinetucky

Laurie,
Thanks so very much for the GREAT link as I found out all I needed to know! Am bookmarking that site.

Pinetucky,
Hi fellow Georgian!!
I am sooo glad to know what they are. I figured it was probably an old hand-me-down name.
Yes, I have saw those white ones in cemeteries a lot. I have "saw" you here at DG and am soo curious as to your "name". Are you originally from KY??

I cannot wait to divide these for my MIL as they need it badly. They are all gorgeous foliage and hardly any bloom at all. Plus they would be beautiful in my yard- LOL!

THANKS for the info you two!!

berrygirl, you will enjoy these iris. I have several clumps that thrive with minimal care. One clump is at the base of a pine tree in poor soil, yet it blooms well every year. Can't get any easier than that.

As for my name, it is the name of the community where I live. It is named for the small plantation that was near here many years ago, There was also a larger Pinetucky Plantation near Augusta. I don't know why they named it Pinetucky unless they were from Kentucky originally. There are plenty of pines here. A friend of mine calls me "Pinetucky Girl" so it seemed like a good nickname for here.

I got so excited when I saw that someone else called the irises "Easter Lilies" like my Granny did that I had to join in. Thanks for making me feel welcome here.

Pinetucky