Bearded irises can be beautiful!
Bearded Iris
Irises multiply fairly quickly and when they become overcrowded they produce fewer blooms. To ensure abundant flowers on your irises, the plants should be divided every three to four years.
The best time to divide and transplant irises is two to three weeks after they’re done blooming for the season, through the end of August.
This is how you divide them:
The roots are known as rhizomes. Dig them out, wash with plain water and inspect them. Keep only the young healthy rhizomes. Discard any that are shriveled or have holes in them, or any that
are soft and mushy.
Rhizomes
Before replanting the iris leaves should be cut back to about six inches.
To replant the healthy rhizomes, dig a shallow hole with your trowel and set each rhizome in the hole about 8 inches apart, carefully spreading out the roots on each rhizome. Add a granular bulb
fertilizer to the hole at this time to keep your irises happy.
Irises will bloom poorly or not at all if the rhizomes are planted too deeply. They should be barely covered with soil. The upper surface of the rhizomes should be at the soil level.
Get ready for an explosion of extravagant flowers next spring.
Have a great week!
-Mike McGroarty
Dear Mike,
Not meaning to quibble but isn’t that Iris siberica in the photo, not Iris germanica?? The photo of the rhizomes looks like I germanica though!
Waiting for it to cool down here in Central Texas, sigh.
Julie
Julie,
I don’t know. This is an article that I did not write, it was written by one of our subscribers. You might be right.
I’m learning so much on your site! Love it! I have a TON of irises at our home from the previous owner, but they are getting crowded and my dad wants a few, so this post is perfect. Thanks!
I was talking to friends in church yesterday when one of the men told me about Mike’s Backyard Nursery site. Talk about a small world!!! When he told me this nursery is in Perry, OH (we now live in Silver Creek, GA), I almost fell out of my pew!! Our family lived in Madison, OH from 1973 – 1981. I remember going to the assorted nurseries in Perry for our flowers. How long has your nursery been open and where exactly are you located.
I can remember my uncle telling my family when I was very young — “Perry, OH has the best soil in Ohio. You can plant almost anything there and it will grow!!” That is so true — I now miss that black rich soil compared to the hard red dirt we have here in GA!!!!!
Carol,
I’ve only been in my current location for five years. Before that I was on Middle Ridge Road in Perry. Now I’m on north ridge road, right down the road from Secor’s Nursery. My address is 4850 North Ridge Road.