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Bearded Iris aren't posh! but, as you know, they just command attention when they're flowering and you can propagate new ones from the old rhizomes so any Iris is a Star in it's own right.

 

E

Easy, peasy, no skill needed, (otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it), just a sharp knife.

 

I divided the Iris every 3 or 4 years and the Doddington method is also to use a sharp knife to cut the new rhizomes that have leaf from the main one while leaving it in the soil. They have Bearded Iris that have been in the same bed for years, when the old rhizome stops flowering due to it's age they cut it from the other linked rhizomes, remove it, throw it away, and leave the others undisturbed.
I differ slightly in that I grow all mine, as you know, in 7.5litre pots that are filled with a fast draining mix of compost, sand, and potting grit


The only difference really is that I can control the feeding timetable more easily and, being in a pot, they are easier to divide and I use the Doddington method of keeping the main rhizome undisturbed while removing the new rhizomes and potting them on. All the pots are numbered in each alphabetical row, along with the variety names and kept on a paper catalogue recording the details just in case I forget the names

 

Yes, around late August/early September is best........which is when the commercial Iris growers start dividing and selling their stock.

 

Actually, Mike, you are mistaken, all of the rhizomes are planted above the compost mix as they need to be "baked" as much as possible by the Spring and Summer Sun. Rhizomes vary in size from large to fairly small and possibly that is why you missed seeing them. Bearded Iris rhizomes are susceptible to rot if left to lie in water and don't need watering very much, which is why mine are resting on the surface of a fast draining mixture of Compost, sand, and potting grit.





I don't have many other types of Iris that have bulbs as food reservoirs, possibly two but I don't think any more than that.

 

I got back from Chester today and found this box on the doorstep waiting for me.........


It;s the Acer "Shin-Deshojo" which I pre-ordered on the 1st August and knew it would take a while to arrive. It arrived really well packed, in good condition and a lovely specimen........so I'm pleased to say the least.






If you look at the last image you can see a large square red pot holding a Flowering Ribes and next to that is another large light brown pot which is actually empty, although it doesn't look like it, and that is where I plan to put the Acer although the final placing of the pot is yet to be decided over a Mug of Tea or two.