I have only been into iris for three years and this is my first year to divide any of them. I have just over 20 acres so I just set them out in another place. I have four different places I am growing iris to see what conditions seem best for iris in my area. Lee Mincy

well i started sharing with friends, now they run from me... then i started donating to churches, after loading those up i began leaving bags of iris at strangers homes who had pretty gardens! after that i thought there must be another way and began selling at auctions, my husbands office and farmers market. every single year i find homes for every single iris that i divide, never once trashed a single one, its a daunting task, i have 1000s and 1000s of extras when i divide, but its a wonderful sense of accomplishment to have EVERY iris find a home! i fear one day i will be too old to meet that demand...

Wow Jain! Can I be your friend??!! LOL I sure wish I was in the same country ... I'd definitely take some off your hands!!
Berni in Canada

I just took 5 boxes to Curves when I went to exercise. I'd printed a copy of the Schreiner's growing info and taped it to the boxes. All were gone in 30 minutes.

I too have fellow teacers, neighbors, and friends who run it they know I'm still digging after our iris club sales in July.

I won't run.......

I have hundreds of varieties including TB's, IB's, MTB's,SDB's PCI's, Sib's, JI's, species, Spurias, etc.
I have an acre of land, which fortunately varies in soil type from very wet to very dry. My TB's are grown in large beds, and when I divide I usually remake one complete bed, sometimes 2, each year. I also dig a lot of the others. I divide and donate a huge number to the annual iris society rhizome sale. I give a lot away free (to Australians only) on Garden Web (Aust) and I give them away by the bucket ful to friends and acquantances throughout the year. I still have troulbe finding places for them all. I also grow over 200 roses, and have a lot of other favourite plants.
:-) Jan

That must be the most colorful and probably the most beautiful acre of land in the world. Lee Mincy

I put all my extras in a plastic laundry basket and drag them in to work. I put up a sign in the hall over the basket saying "Free mixed iris. Take as many as you like. Find Lisa if you have questions" They are usually gone by mid-afternoon.

In Kansas, I used to make passers-by take sacks of iris and sacks of tomatoes home with them. I lived on a corner, so there were lots of pedestrians :-)

Nursing homes and senior living complexes often appreciate irises for their landscaping, and though I haven't checked, I suspect Habitat for Humanity might put them to good use, too.

Last year I took hundreds of extra rhizomes into my county extension service where they were distributed to area gardeners within a couple of hours. I'm sure any gardening club or Master Gardener organization would be thrilled to receive iris surplus.

Laurie

We had a business on a busy highway, and I planted iris, daylilies, cannas and hollyhocks near the ditch in a raised bed. We had to relocate because the highway expanded this summer, and after our building was gone, I saw people there digging out the iris. I was happy to see other people think like I do and want to "rescue" plants, and also grateful that I didn't have to do all the work of digging! I had given away all I could before we had to leave. I'm looking for another highway beautification project for next year!
I agree with Laurie that nursing homes are great places to donate iris, as are schools.

I live way out in the country on about 25 acres, most of which is wooded. I have two large iris beds, one directly behind the back of my house, and the larger one that is fenced in because of the critters, and also iris in mixed plantings in my perennial beds. After dividing about 125 of them this year, between family, neighbors, one forum member and some coworkers, I gave them all away. Glad I found homes for all of my babies!

Shadow

I've read through the FAQs and maybe I missed it, but after you divide your irises, how long can they stay out of the ground? I am converting a small bed into an herb garden and moving the irises there to a planter. I need to pull them out and might as well divide them, but how long can I wait to replant? I don't think the new planter will be ready before I divide them.

Thanks!

OK, when I went back to the main Iris forum I found my answer, particular for northern Illinois. Maybe I'll pot them up while they're waiting. I think the forum search function is not always very helpful . . . not sure how it ranks findings.

I live in a small town of 980 people in the Eastern California Mojave Desert. My irises love the sandy soil, and never rot or get borers - lucky me!!! I divide every two years, because the sand enables them to REALLY reproduce quickly, and I've planted them all over our acreage in the desert, next to fences so they get a little shade in our 115 F summers! I give the extras to my garden club and take them to work - like the laundry basket idea...I'll probably do that this fall. Thanks

Our local post office lets me bring in sacks full of iris. They quickly dissapear.
Also our little town has an annual yard sale every summer (right about the time I dig the iris). I always sell enough to pay for the iris's that I've sent for.
Then there's ebay..... :o]
Heidi

jain - hint hint hint....i love iris :-)