Hey Iris people I have a question.

Since I've cut back on the amount of time I work-work I'm spending a lot of time in the yard and trying to get back into landscaping/gardening that I haven't had time to do for years.
What I need and I've read through this forum and plant files until my eyes are crossing; is a Iris for Dummies class. I'm digging up a large bed of them right now that have likely been there for decades just growing being happy little plants. They have grass in them, weeds, trees ... yes trees, and they have mounded up about a foot or so I'm guessing from the endless years of being ignored and growing on top of one another has caused the mounding and the fact the area is like concrete.
In order to remove all the grass and weeds I'm guessing I can strip all the dirt off of them an replant them somewhere else to thin them out. A path will be going through the location they are now so they have to moved. I know I'll distroy a few they are so tight and crowded, but I know nothing about irises and I want to minimize the destruction. I have no idea what kind these are other than old farm type irises or purple and yellow and some two tones; which is which I have no idea.
Any quick advance or digging and transplanting these would be helpful, I don't want to kill all of them and I don't want grass and weeds in them either. Most of my trees have iris planeted around them from years before I was here so I guess I'll do the same with these on the trees no yet ringed in Irises.


Thanks Dave
Dave

The good news is that bearded irises are hard to kill. The even better news is that it sounds like you have older varieties (historic) irises, which are usually hardier and harder to kill than their modern counterparts.

What I would do is:

1. Dig the entire clump(s) up
2. Throw away the woody/dried up rhizomes (these will be mostly in the center of the plant).
3. Seperate the healthy rhizomes into single rhizomes or at most, clumps of 2-3.
4. Cut back the foliage to about 6-8 inches above the rhizomes.
5. Replant in a well-drained location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.

You should plant your rhizomes with the top 1/3 showing above the ground. In colder climates, the rhizome can be planted no more than 1" below the soil, but in your case, I'd leave the top 1/3 out to bake in the sun. The soil needs to be well-drained (otherwise, you will surely get rot!)

Here's a link to some simple, yet complete planting instructions. If you follow these instructions, your irises should do well for you!

http://www.mid-americagarden.com/bearded_iris_culture.htm

I think you'll be pleased with them. Irises take a lot less "pampering" than most plants in the garden, yet provide beautiful flowers and interesting foliage.

Thanks for your reply, I just came in from the heat ... it is hot and humid today. I have been busting up this tangled mess of plants. Between the grass and the weeds and the Irises I'm about ready to go get the backhoe. Sounds like I was on the right path as I have been breaking them apart and pulling out the grass and weeds and pitching what looked old or sad. I have also been cutting back the leaves as I've seen many people do this and I don;t know why but it does make them easier to put in buckets until I can get time to plant them. I have dug up about a 5 sq ft area thus far and I have filled 3 five gal buckets with them. They are thick! I've got to the point that if it's more work to get them apart than is there is save they are taking a trip to the compost heap. I think when I finished I'll have about pick-up load.
I think they are bearded, there not fancy just plain ol Irises, but I am pretty sure they had a beard. I think it would have been easier to redesign the garden path than to dig these things up, but clearly they really needed thinning out. I saw the old owner of the farm who lived here 40+ years at the store and asked him how long they'd been there and he said for as long as he could remember. Tha'ts a pretty long time. ok breaks over back to work!

When you're putting them in buckets, you mean empty buckets, right...not buckets with water in them? Bearded iris rhizomes won't like soaking in water.

Wow! A truck load, huh? It sounds like you must have a TON of them! I'm sure all of your hard work will pay off with a gorgeous bunch of iris in bloom in springtime!

Yes empty buckets, wagons, old pots, bags. I think a lot of these will either be given away or just planted out along a fence row. I'll never find a place for all of them unless the old thing I want is Irises. Speaking of the how far apart should I plant them a coupld of inches, six a foot? I have a bunch of them and there will be more.

Well, if you want the instant clump effect, you can plant them 6-8 inches apart, but you're going to have to thin them a lot more often.

If you don't want to be thinning them for another 2-4 years, I'd plant them 18-24 inches apart. The first-year effect won't be as great, but you'll save yourself some work.

I should also mention that there are a lot of DGers here that would gladly take the extra rhizomes off your hands and pay you postage. If you decide to do that, just make a new thread offering what you've got and I bet you'll get quite a few replies.

If they are taller bearded irises, it would be best to plant them 18-24" apart. If you plant closer than that, you'll be right back to digging and dividing in another year or two.

If you live near a traveled roadway, stick the irises in boxes out by the road with a sign "FREE IRISES", or do what I did and take your extras into your county extension service or local garden club/master gardeners for distribution to area gardeners.

Or you can offer them for postage reimbursement here on the forum. There are always LOTS of eager takers here for free irises!

Happy digging,

Laurie

Please don't throw any a way. I will happily take them off your hands for postage.
Winnie

Well I think I saw 4 cars today and one was the DW. Good gosh if I planted them 18-24' apart I'd have about 50 acers of Irises. I left 3 - 5 gallon buckets of them at the store (you know one of those spot in the road general stores.) in a box for them to give away and I've already got another 15-20 gals of them. The ground is like concrete and I'm feelin' my age today. So between the hard soil and the wire-grass and the gravel and the heat I'm beat and I still have about 20X4 feet area to go. Maybe I'll be Davy Iris-seed and just drive around pitching them in peoples yards.
This type what ever it is I have dug some before in another part of the yard, tossed them in the field and they took root and grew. As I delve into this "serious gardening" I'm trying to do things right! But I'm telling you I'm about ready to get the tractor out and I'll have this job done in about 3 minutes.

Well what's stopping you? If you've got a bucket on that tractor, go ahead and dig 'em ! It'll make things a whole lot easier on you.

Laurie

I'll second that! If you already have more than you can possibly handle, get the job done as fast as you can and plant the survivors!

I'm about to that point, got a little bit of rain tonight so maybe the ground will be a little softer.

I would love to take some of those off of your hands, too! I just love the older ones. They are hardier and will grow well even in partial shaded areas! LMK if you wouldl ike to send some for postage. It sounds like the more you dig the more you have, I did the same thing with my purples after they bloomed, gave away four -five gallon buckets and I think I still have a few in the garage that I haven't replanted or given away. I think when you start diggin they start multiplying like crazy! LOL Please let me know!
Janet

I'll see if I can find a photo of them so you can be sure of what I have. I know little to nothing about Irises other than they are a pain to dig up!! I know I have yellow, Purple and a yellow/rust two tone one. which is which your guess is as good as mine but I'm sure I'll have plenty to spare. I have rhizomes from really small the really big. all have at least one leaf some have 4 or 5 on them. If the leaf broke at the base I cut it off and left only what was good about 4-6" long.
If you want a mystery then I can seen some, but you'll have to let me know the best way to ship them.

Thanks Dave

The best way is to shake off all the dirt and trim them back to 6"-8" and wrap them in newpaper, do not wet them. Put them in a box and send them out. At least that is what I do and the way most of mine come to me in trades. I really would like some of the larger ones if you don't mind and some of each color would be great! A lot of mine come in the Post Office boxes you can get for free, you can get quite a bit in one of the medium boxes. Most likely postage will be about $8.00 depending on how far you are sending them. I will gladly send you a check now or if you want I can wait till I get the box and know the price and send you postage then. Just whatever you are comfortable with. I have done it both ways and a lot of the DGers will vouch for me I think! Just let me know!
Janet

Please let me know too. I also would like a $7.70 flat rate box of the big ones.
Winnie

I still have a lot to dig I think I'm still in the yellow ones is memory serves me (which I question at time.) I'll go to the other end which I think is purple and dig some there it the next day or so I have a lot of other work to do that, you know, pays the bills. So if you are not in a HUGE hurry I'll get a few boxes together of mixed to ship out to a few people and the coming days, I'm not sure how many I'll have should be a few. If you are in a hurry, I live in far western KY and the shovels are in the barn and the dogs names are Groucho and Pepper bring BIG bones and you'll be fine! LOL I have been informed by the DW to not give ALL of them away, to which I informed her where the shovels where at too. Back to work!

Later
Dave

Later is fine with me...you are a dear to offer them!

I am in no hurry either. Just holler and I will be ready.
Winnie

I looked and I looked and I finally found a picture of those Irises .... like I said I don't think they are anything special you tell me, just your run of trhe mill irises?

Oh ... how long can I leave these things out of the ground before they start to go to great flowerbed in the sky? It will take me a good week or two to get these all dug up as I get time.

This message was edited Aug 17, 2005 3:57 PM

They are beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winnie

Any idea what kind they are besides Yellow and Lavender?

I am sure some of the experts here might know. Post the pic and ask for ID. I just started on daylilies and Iris. The only Iris Ihave is going on thirty years old and I still have no idea what they are named. They are lavender/purple..
Winnie

Davart~

I don't know what the names are, but those are definitely tall bearded irises you've got there. The purple is more of a historic variety, while the bright yellow is more of a modern hybrid variety. They are lovely!

You can leave the rhizomes outside of the ground for several weeks, provided they are in a cool, dry location~such as a garage or shaded area outside. I've even (accidentally) left the older historic variety outside all winter (they even froze to the ground!) and planted them the next spring and they lived. I wouldn't recommend this...but I just wanted to give you an idea of how tough they can be.

Just be sure to plant them about 6 weeks before first frost so they have ample time to set their roots down before a freeze. I'm guessing that in KY frosts don't come very early, so you probably have plenty of time!

Hey there Dave,
I'm too far away and too old to help you dig, but I sure would like a big box of just the yellow ones! I'll pay whatever postage you ask for. Yellow and white irises are my absolute favorites and I am making a new bed just for them that will show up clear across the yard. Nice of you to be willing to share.
Diane from North Carolina

You have DG mail !!
Thanks,
Margo

You could always bring a huge bunch to the Kentucky Round up
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/537255/
I'm sure you would have lots of trades!

Sounds like a good idea Crimson, but will they keep that long in the heat we've been having. I have them in the shade on the porch but we've still had these 110* heat indexes as you know. I might trade a few to other not going to the KYRU but I can't promise any colors as I have no idea what is what. I'm going to try and plant a few next week when it is a little cooler.
Another question is since they don;t like being wet, I'm assuming (dangerous I know) that I don;t need to water these in after planting.

Dave

i have that kind of heat i toss under shade tree and in fall there all most all alive .
the oldies are realy hardy .all they need is shade and air circulation .

Dave,

Yes, do water them in thoroughly after planting. It'll stimulate root growth so they settle in properly. A deep watering once a week for the first few weeks should do it.

Laurie

I might have to hope for a deep rain, some will be located down by the road which is a tad further than my hose will reach. A tad being a few 100 feet further. I was going to till up along a old fence row and just start setting them in. Something to color up the sea of green we get here in my area.

They'll really dress up your roadway Dave. Give them room to expand and you won't have to move them again for awhile. What are you interested in having in trade for some of the yellow ones?

What you got there GG .... as I've said I can not guarantee yellow; I can only guarantee that ones I pull might, maybe, possibly, could be, there is a chance of, I think that they'll be yellow ... so if we trade don't go screaming at me in the spring when something other than yellow rears it ugly head. That is my disclaimer and I'm sticking to it.

Dave

Well......from what you had said earlier I thought you were digging just yellow at that point and had not started on the purple ones yet, so I guess I missed something in the middle there. I already have a lot of purple, but I guess I can take a chance, and I certainly won't be yelling at you if they are purple. I have finished the trades I had pending, and am getting ready to have surgery, so the more I've thought about it.......would you be willing to let me just send you postage for a box of them? You can get a lot of them into one of those flat rate boxes. How would that be?
Diane

Well I been digging since I wrote that and I'm into the area that they might be one might be the other, I've already given a bunch away locally and I have a plant trade at the Roundup coming up soon. Let me see how many I have after I plant along the roadside I should have enough to send you some. But I have a few trades I need to honor first.
Best of luck with your surgery, I won't trade for that. LOL

Dave

Aw c'mon, Dave. Actually I don't blame you. I'll be glad when it's over and I can get back to my life. I'm a patient person when it comes to plants and/or trades. I have a gardening daughter that is going to help me get my summer/fall yard work all done and I'd like enough irises to share with her, so just let me know if you would. Thanks a lot and good luck with all your trades. You'll get some neat stuff, I'm sure.

Talk to you later.
Diane