proper planting instructions

I know that one should plant bearded irises with the top of their rhyzomes showing at the soil surface level, however I never seen one planted this way in the neighbourhood.
Could someone please post some pictures of the base of their fans? I know it's not the most glamorous shoot, but it would help those who are not very visual and feel that leavign rhyzoms at the surface could be an overstatement.

Depending on the climate and soil type, you will find folks planting bearded irises in a variety of manners. Some plant with the entire rhizome sitting on top of the soil with only the roots buried underneath. Frankly I don't know how that could possibly work because I would think that the weight of the fan, stalk, and flowers would tip it over with only the roots underground, but I know that some folks claim to plant that way.

Others, myself included, plant the rz so that its top is slightly below the soil surface - no more than 1/2". I believe that a light soil cover helps protect the rzs in my very severe climate. Neil Mogensen once told me that bearded irises grown in a desert climate must have some soil cover to prevent them from cooking in the hot desert sun.

Most folks plant so that the top of the rz is level with the soil surface and exposed to the sun.

In reality, I expect that anywhere from leaving the entire rhizome on top of the soil to burying it 1/2" deep is acceptable in most climates. The rhizomes themselves will also often adjust their own planting depth over time. It's not at all uncommon to find rzs that were originally planted at one level, growing at an entirely different level (either shallower or deeper) within a year after planting. When that occurs in my garden, I assume the rz knows best and leave it where it apparently prefers to grow.

Laurie

I was trying to plant the rhyzoms exposed, but it seems that with large fans they don't get any sun at all no matter how close to the surface they are. Am I leaving too many fans in a clump?

I will be moving my bearded irises this summer to create an iris area. I was thinking about an S shape planting with companion plants in the middle of the two hooks of S and small ones edging the S. My bed is just 3' wide and has concrete on both sides so winding path/edge is not an option. I will be replanting most of the irises that's why I am trying to figure out what woudl work best.

If you're planting clumps, you're always going to have fans shading the rhizomes, so just don't worry about it. If you're planting single rzs, you can plant with the fan to the north so that the rz will get as much sun exposure as possible.