How to Split and Transplant Irises

Irises seem to be the forgotten perennial staple. In years past, there was never a farm without a bed of iris flowers. My grandma used to tell me about her long row of irises on her farm, all different colors. The reason for this is that irises multiply and need to be thinned out every few years. This meant everyone had irises to give away, thus all farms had this flower.

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Irises are named after the Greek goddess Iris who was said to ride rainbows.

My irises are all the bearded variety: large flowers with a fuzzy beard-like texture and all come from my great grandma's farm, who I'm sure knew nothing about the Greek goddess.

After years of growth and blooms, the rhizome roots start to pile on each other. This means fewer blooms and not as vigorous plant growth. So every four or five years, it's good to divide the irises.

- Trim the leaves by about a third so the replanted iris will focus on root growth.
- Dig up each variety and separate all the rhizome roots. Inspect the roots and discard any rotten or diseased-looking ones. This is also a good time to inspect for iris borer. If infected, the rhizomes will have holes in the roots and rot. Discard these if found.
- Plant roughly a third of the roots back into the soil, keeping the roots just at ground level. Irises do not like to be planted deep.
- Water as you would for a new plant!

Once the roots are established, new leaves will sprout and the plant will be healthy! Share the unused irises you didn't replant with friends, neighbors, or plant even larger beds 😊!

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