Thanks

i havent grown an iris ,except for Gerald Darby in 15 years. i could read but it is more fun to ask here. so each fan can make a division….these 3 ”immortaliy” were bursting out their pots and half priced but clearly not half dead. I do like white in the garden.

If you cut rhizomes, let them sit in the shade for a day or so to allow the cut areas to dry up a little before planting.

You can divide that as long as there's multiple rhizomes (I'm leery of cutting one big rhizome into smaller pieces). Often the rhizomes can be easily teased apart. Those look nice big, healthy roots -- looks like you scored!

Im tempted to go buy morejust for the feeling of a score. But what i have, with divisions, is enough.

"Im tempted to go buy morejust for the feeling of a score."

Oh yea, I know that feeling well...I have to remind myself I don't need it, I have enough. Just yesterday, as a matter of fact, when I saw an ironweed cultivar that was tempting me :0p

I don't ever cut iris rhizomes apart, just gently pull and tease them apart. Just the thought of cutting them makes me cringe.

That's as may be, but it doesn't hurt the irises and is a standard procedure. Not every fan will have a whole rhizome to use. As long as the fan has a portion of rhizome it'll be fine.

I'm not such a fan of white in the garden, (except in my shade beds) and not a huge iris fan, but Immortality is a gorgeous iris. I bought mine years ago and it continues to be one of my favorite plants - healthy, robust, so white and it pops beautifully. Nice job, Marie!

:)

Dee

Im confused. and hesitant, even though ive been ripping plants apart for years.

can i soak the plants in water ( out of their pots ) to loosen the roots? My hands are weak and get hurt easily so I dont pry much now. Ill recruit some one . What tricks might help me divide the rootball? A hose? chopsticks?

Is a fan of leaves always always attached to a rhizome.? we see a rhizome in the center of each pot .Could more be growing deeper in the soil?

Im going to go read about irises grow.. thanks, everyone, for the help.

You tease them apart, cut if necessary (sometimes there are soft areas that should be cut away), trim the roots as necessary and, after letting cut areas dry in the shade for a couple of days, set each rhizome on a little mound in a hole so that the roots got down but the top of the rhizome will be just above the level of the ground when the hole is filled in.

To be honest you can do it quite brutally with a serrated knife or saw. As long as you have some roots and a bit of rhizome for each fan. These are not delicate plants. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/iris/dividing

I can be brutal. i used a reticulating saw on Amsonia Blue Ice. It was still a job getting through the knotted root system.