The task for this morning was to divide some of my Siberian Iris ‘Ruffled Velvet’ which were in dire need of being divided. Here are a few photos of these beauties in bloom:
It was the perfect morning to get down and dirty and divide like a champ; it was very cool and overcast – the perfect weather for accomplishing the task and not putting too much strain on the newly transplanted divisions:
As you can see in the photo below, a hole has developed in the middle of the Iris and that screamed “division time” to me:
In went the shovel and like a hot knife through butter, the Iris split into three divisions on it’s own (hmmm … interesting I said at the time, should that really happen? Bigger issue? … no time to ponder … let’s move on):
After I moved these on to the tarp (always useful) three became five:
I cleaned each new division up by removing any debris, large clumps of nice NJ clay but careful to keep the roots in tact as best as possible:
Each division was placed in it’s new location in a hole at least two to three times the size of the root ball:
The foliage was cut down to about 4-6 inches so the plant could focus most of it’s energies on root growth:
BOOM! One Siberian Iris became five and an empty spot in my bed was quickly filled. These will be mulched a bit more and will be well watered for the next month or so to ensure they get off to a nice start:
Soon after, another Iris became four divisions and I filled in another bare area in one of the beds:
I’ve still got four more to divide but that was all that could get done this morning.
These may not bloom next year (or even much the year after that) but I am OK with that. The foliage still provides a level of interest and with their new locations, I am not relying on them to provide much impact in the overall scheme of the garden bed they are in.
It had been awhile since I had a chance to get my hands dirty out in the gardens and it immediately got the blood and mind flowing. Dirt under the nails, on the knees, in the ears – GOOD TIMES! I feel good and ready to conquer more. Bring it!
ONG
Dividing an iris clump is very rewarding. More flowers, eventually!
You make it look so easy! This gives me hope for my own garden.
Hi ONG,
Nothing like the feel of plunging ones digits into the earth is there? Siberian Iris, especially the deep blue varieties like you have are simply tops in my book. They far outweigh the more gaudy Flag Irises. I’m very impressed, and pleased to see someone from the corporate world enjoying a vocation that can be so, so, so tough at times!
I love divisions! They fill the garden so quickly! Those are a lovely shade of blue! Hopefully they do well in their new spots!