No bearded iris grow like that. The main issue with this planting is that it needs to be lifted and divided, placed in a more sunny position, away from the immediate vicinity of trees or shrubs that shade it, drop leaves on it - using only the portions with leaf fans present plus a short section of attached, recently formed rhizome - like you get from suppliers.

And discarding the rest.

Some good information can be found on the American Iris Society website. Bearded Iris should be planted at or just below the soil surface. Here is a link to the site about planting.

American Iris Society

Is it too late to divide and transplant now? Thanks for your help!

I guess we all wish we could predict the weather. I have read that in cold winter zones it is important to have at least 6 weeks of growth before the first freeze. Can your area provide that?

These beardeds will be fine if left until next summer. There will be a lot of tossing of duplicates and digging in of aged manure. (If I were doing it :-))

Unsure of your familiarity with beardeds. Chris gave an excellent link. And here's a picture of some thinning I did. This is one cultivar, red Xs showing some of what is getting tossed. Awfully kind of you to help your neighbor.