When to transplant

I have 3 no-id bearded iris that are now under my butterfly bushes. (Those things grow so darn fast.) When can I transplant to a sunnier location? Leaves are still green here. Any info much appreciated. Thanks, Becky

Bearded iris need to be transplanted 6 weeks before frost so they can root properly. Our time was past in early September here in Iowa . Do you get hard freezes?

Thanks. We've had a hard freeze already. It was a couple weeks ago and early for us. I'll wait until spring and move them then. If I leave them under the bushes, they'll probably die from lack of light.

The best time to move them is the first part of July and then 6 weeks before your first frost. Here in CA we can move ours from July until November, we really don't get much frost, oh except for the past couple of days!

I move mine here in Dec and Jan with no problems, but I am South of you and they never bloom the next year. I work for the schools so I get the week of Thanksgiving and two weeks Winter Break off so take that time to plant and divide stuff.

Plant in the winter? Must be nice! Too chilly here--but no real snow yet .

Are you kidding? Here 40s and 50s... almost all the time.

You can move and plant iris as long as the ground is not frozen.
HOWEVER! they need time to get their roots established
I can usually plant until November here and be ok
I moved some last week because it is supposed to be in the 40-50's for the next 2 weeks
:)
Anita

Good info.
Another question anyone:
Do I need to cover my irises with mulch or straw?? The rhizomes are showing a lot and with this warm weather, new leaves are poking right up about 3 inches on some.
Thanks,
Judy

Judy,
Don't mulch your irises, it can lead to too much moisture hence rot. They love to sunbathe.

I have tough winters here, but only the newest , unestablished bearded iris get lightly mulched to prevent them from heaving totally out of the ground with our frost/thaw schedule. My iris are anywhere from 3-5 inches tall right now. Snow doesn't really bother them--extreme cold (below zero) can if the growth is new..