DIVIDE IRISES EVERY FEW YEARS
Here we are in late July in Virginia. If your irises are like mine, they’re starting to go dormant from the summer heat and showing yellow foliage. Now is the perfect time to divide your irises. These popular garden perennials need dividing every few years to prevent overcrowding, which reduces blooms and increases the risk of foliar diseases, especially in our Virginia climate.
Dividing Bearded Iris isn’t a difficult task, and here in Virginia, July and August are ideal months to do it, right after they finish blooming.
STEPS TO DIVIDING BEARDED IRIS
- Trim the foliage back to about 4 inches from the rhizome. Cutting the leaves at an angle helps expose the rhizome resting on top of the soil.
- Use a shovel or garden fork to gently lift the rhizome clumps. If your irises are in containers or mixed beds, a trowel works well.
- Shake off excess soil and carefully separate the rhizomes by hand.
- Inspect each rhizome for pests or disease—discard any unhealthy ones.
- Irises thrive in Virginia’s full sun and prefer rich, well-draining soil.
- When replanting, create a shallow hole with a small mound in the center. Add bone meal or a natural fertilizer like Espoma Bio-tone.
- Place the rhizome on top of the mound with roots spreading down into the trench. Avoid burying the rhizome to prevent root rot.
SHARE THE BEAUTIES OF BEARDED IRIS
Thanks to my friends in the Central Virginia Iris Society, including breeder Mike, I’ve learned so much about these stunning flowers. Mike even gifted me one of his new white iris varieties!
We’ll have bare-rooted iris rhizomes arriving soon at the Great Big Greenhouse in Richmond, just in time for planting season. Over the years, I’ve shared my extra iris divisions with neighbors and friends—spread the joy and beauty of irises in your Virginia community.
PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS!!!!!!!!!