I know everyone thinks that we close in July to have nothing but fun, and how I wish that were true! There will be some fun this month, but we have a lot of work to do before we reopen August 1. In addition to the normal care of plants in the nursery, we’re taking cuttings of shrubs and groundcovers, and we’re dividing perennials. I promised a guide to dividing iris, and here it is!
This iris was planted in too much shade. It managed a few blooms this year, but nothing like the flowers on the iris in full sun.
It’s best to dig up the entire clump.
Lots of roots!
You can divide them into new plants, with two or three fans each.
This one clump made 11 new plants!
When you replant, make sure you don’t plant too deep. The rhizome should be at visible at the soil level.
Rhizome is what the root of the iris is called. It’s not a bulb, but a similar type of enlarged root. “Fan” is the term used to refer to the leaves coming from one rhizome. If you buy iris through the mail, they’re sent in divisions containing a couple of fans, usually. Some pricey cultivars will be sent with just one fan. When you replant, you can put a division with two or three fans in the garden, spaced about a 18″ apart. The closer you plant them, the sooner you’ll have to divide them again. In our climate, bearded iris should be divided every three or four years.
Dividing is easy and is a great way to increase your iris garden or to share with friends. July is the best month to divide iris in Southern Colorado. It gives them plenty of time to get established before winter. Cutting the leaves down is not necessary, but sometimes when you divide them it’s difficult to get them to stand up when they have big floppy leaves. I usually cut mine back when dividing, just to make the whole process easier.
