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Bearded iris

Busy Bee2Busy Bee2 Posts: 1,005

When we moved here, there were a few plants that had to be pulled out for the building work to convert a barn into a house, and an iris rhizome kept being kicked about the front garden.  For a long time there was nowhere to plant it, and when I eventually had a place for it, I planted with little hope.  Anyway, it flowered, and every year we have the most delightful pale blue flowers from it.  But over the years it has spread, until it is quite choked by its own size, and the display has got less impressive.  I have been meaning to divide it, but only now have somewhere to put it.  It is about to flower now, so I will let it do that, but was wondering, how soon after flowering can I chop it up and move it.  Will it need a recovery period after the flowering - shall I leave it to the autumn? 

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,128

    You can do it as soon as the flower has started wither - info here  http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/propagating/how-to-divide-iris-rhizomes/169.html 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Busy Bee2Busy Bee2 Posts: 1,005

    Oh that's great news Dove, as I am making my new beds and I would rather put things in sooner than later.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,109

    Yes - dig up and take the best bits from the outside and discard the middle. You'll get loads of decent clumps if it's a biggish plant BB. I always cut the foliage back by about half in each clump to give it a chance to establish, and I usually pot them up for a while but you can probably plant them straight away if your soil and conditions are right. image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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