when to move iris

I have some irises that are being hidden by my very tall peonies ... can I move them after they finish blooming or do I need to wait until the fall?

I would wait til they're done blooming and then move them. As long as they're well established 6 weeks before your first frost, they should be fine.

Beautiful Picture Crockny!
What is that pink flower in with your Iris? I notice you are in zone 5 too and I don't think I've seen that around here. Would love to research it.

TYSM,
Kim

Kim it looks to be a trumpet plant of some sort (or at least with in that family of plants)

Kim that is weigela wine and roses, a smaller weigela than most ... I can't believe how many flowers are on this plant this year ... I've given it no special care and the first year I had it a vole ate out the roots and I thought I'd lost it ... but after repacking the dirt around what was left it came through like a champ -- it shouldn't get much bigger than this ...

Sharron

Very pretty. Never would have guessed it was a shrub :)
The colors go great together :)

Kim

P.S. -- Kim, I'm originally from Auburn, ME ...

Oh that's neat...Auburn huh? That's about an hour or so from where I am. You have a better growing zone in NY I'm sure :)

Kim

My wine and roses is loaded with blooms this year too, after a very sparse year last year. Maybe it's because I pruned out all of the dead branches last year... Anyways, our late frost didn't hurt it a bit.
Sharon

I haven't touched mine -- must just be a good year for them!

Hi, I am in the process of moving my iris or I should say my dad's iris. The have been pretty much untouched since he passed away 5 years ago, and I imagine it was longer than that since he was not well and had to cut back on the gardening. Anyway, I have two questions 1) should I cut back the foliage after I replant or does it help the rhizome to gain strength as to adusts to it's new home and 2) how long can I keep them unplanted before I lose them. I had no idea how many there were, I must have dug 100 at least and there's still more to go. They all need moving and spreading apart but I did not clear enough space in the main garden to fit them all. If I move them to a full shade spot and moisten them is it possible to get way with a week or so? I pulled it off with my dahlias, they sat under the tree for a month quite happily, and are now moving into where the iris are.

I was amused by the first post because I am moving the iris to a spot behind a well established row of peonies and in front of a row of daylilies which border a path I am putting in.

Speaking of Maine, though I am CT born and raised, my dad came from Skowhegan and my mom from East Hogden (sp?) and my brother moved back up there to Bowdinham.

Thanks for you help, Dave

Dave, it is certainly possible for you to get away with a week without planting them twice! Iris are quite hardy. I am assuming you are talking about bearded iris. If so, once you have dug them you should let them dry out in a place out of the bright sun, and them replant after they have healed over on the tuber (the spots that are broken should dry and heal over) this will keep them from being as suseptible to disease and rot when you replant them. I have had some out of the ground for almost three weeks, and they are still quite nice. Like you I have a very large area to divide and had no idea tilll they were out, that I would have over 150 tubers. But really, I have had Iris in my garage over the Winter and planted them in the Spring and they have grown fine....not ideal, but if they are hidden and forgotten, they still survive. So take your time and do it like you want, they will be fine.
Janet

I would think that watering the iris after you dig them up isn't a good idea. Best to let them dry out, which is what they need to do in the summer I believe. Daylilies like more water than irises.
Sharon

Thanks to both of you, I have spread them out on the garage floor to dry some before I replant the. The whole floor is covered! I've been walking around at work asking anyone I think might be interested if they want some iris. Dave

Dave, I know you might prefer to give them to people who knew your dad, but I'm thinking if you really have more irises than you can possibly plant, you could offer them over in the plant trading forum...

What color are they, do you know? ;-)

Dave, we didn't answer your question on cutting them back...lol I try to keep about eight inches of length on the fans I dig...you can cut them at and angle....here is a good site that tells you a lot about planting them and caring for them...hope this helps.
http://www.schreinersgardens.com/about_iris.shtml#planting
Janet

That helped a lot Janet, I dug and trimmed for most of 1 day and part of another.

critterologist, I will offer some as soon as I can get organized. I have some promised but have plenty left. I actually don't know all the colors because not too many have flowered in the last couple years. I believe they are mostly shades of purple though I may also let go of a few of the all white ones called "Eternity".

Dave

I still have a box full of the ones I dug up! I may have to offer them up soon, I just can't get out and plant them!

Some of my iris's bloomed like crazy this year but now they're all turning brown at the tops.
We've had a huge amount of rain this year...Oklahoma...would that have something
to do with it? I also have some in a different location that didn't bloom at all this year.
What am I doing wrong?

I think it is just the crazy weather we have had...also some of the ones that didn't bloom if they were new, may need two seasons to bloom. Although, I did have some older ones never bloom because of the late frost we had in Georgia. I also have some that are beginning to rebloom now. I also have an amaryllis that bloomed in January, blooming now..LOL Crazy year for me!

Do you have iris borer in Oklahoma?

The foliage on mine tend to start dying back little by little after the bloom period is over. The rhizome is consuming the top of the plant to feed the new growth of the rhizome for the following season. I know they aren't pretty but it's just one of the necessary unattractive things that happen in my garden. Usually around September I'll trim off down to about 6-8 inches up from the soil and they are ready for the next year.