DL are just coming into bloom.. why would you do it now ... fall or spring.. simply put the shovel in the middle of a clump.. and jump on it.. and move half... couldnt kill the thing if you put it in the driveway and ran it over a few times... you could probably do it right now.. and the plant will live.. but you will ruin the flower show ...

iris can be done now.. as they finished blooming ... the are surface planted.. ONLY the roots in the ground ... or in fall.. but not spring.. prior to bloom... [wait a minute.. is this a trick question.. what kind of iris???]

there is a pretty good iris forum.. and i am sure there is a DL forum.. if for some reason you dont believe me ...

terrified.. really???? .. gardening really isnt that dramatic ... lol ... and these are two pretty bulletproof plants to learn on ....

you ought to be able to get utube shows on both ....

ken

It's okay to be a bit terrified.
Pretty soon though, you'll be yanking them out on 86 degree days with ruthless abandon! Ok, maybe not...of course you could have some prolific growers and you end up desperately needing spots for your new plant acquisitions so you dig up dozens of iris rhizomes in July, set them by your mailbox and post Craigslist ads just to get rid of the dang things. :)

Iris and day lilies are pretty tough. I wouldn't wait too long to divide the iris because you want to give them plenty of time to get re established in their new spot to increase the likeliness of flowers next year.

I like to use a digging fork for iris in particular. You don't need to try to get a big root ball. I fork them out, shake off the soil so I have just the rhizomes and some dangly roots, break or cut off old rhizomes and any signs of rot or poor growth then replant groups of individual rhizones in a well drained spot. I would replant them right away. No need to over winter them inside.

Yes you will damage some surrounding roots and yes you will sever many roots off the plant you are moving/thinning. They will most likely be fine though. You need to just eyeball what size clump to replant. I have some iris that fill in quickly and some that grow slower. Eventually you will see which kind yours are.

I would look around for some videos in dividing. Iris and day lilies are good plants to start with because they transplant easily.

Good luck!

I use the shovel method a lot in the garden. When I want to minimize the visible damage to the plant, I use a folding garden saw (like a large serrated knife, which can also be used).

So I'd do one of two things. I might make a cut with the saw through the middle of the plant and into the dirt (while in the ground), then use the shovel dig the cut piece out from the edge. Fill the hole that's left with dirt, and you're done. (Using the saw or knife to separate the plant in the middle avoids damaging leaves with the shovel when it's used in the middle of the clump.)

Option two is to dig up the whole clump, then use the saw to cut the clump into as many pieces as I want, and replant what's staying.

When it comes to daylilies, you can pretty much be brave and have fun!!

Thanks for not making me feel stupid. I just feel like sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone, you know? They are all blooming fine, but look so crowded! I will post a picture tonight when I get home.
Youtube sounds like a great start too. Great suggestion.

Daylilies in particular are much easier to deal with if you wait until late in the summer or early fall when you can chop off the foliage to about 5 inches and then dig and divide them. When they're fully leafed out, it can look like an overwhelming task, but once the leaves are gone it's much easier to get them out of the ground and do the chopping.

Kevin

stupid??

we were explaining that either is a no worry sport????

good things to practice on .... to learn ....

forgive me if i did so.. it was not my intent ...

ken

HI, I'm new to gardening and even I had success many times at many different times digging up and transplanting day lilies. The iris I did late last summer look good but did not flower even though I kept the rhizomes shallow. I heard that sometimes it takes a season to bloom again, but maybe that was just in my dreams.... Best of luck to you.

BlueBird you are not stupid! I am not afraid of dividing, but I am terrified of pruning! After about 15 years of gardening I am still unsure and afraid to prune. I go outside with pruners in hand determined to finally do something, and end up snipping a few ends, lol. We each have our weak spot in the garden!

Good luck! Daylilies are tough. You'll do fine (and so will they, lol!)

Dee

Ken, that was genuine, not sarcastic. I was prepared for people to make me feel stupid and they didn't. Which I appreciate.
I'm more worried about the iris than the DLs. The iris are blood red. See picture.

BlueBirdPeony - There isn't one poster on this or any other forum who was born with the knowledge of how to garden without making mistakes. What Ken didn't say is there's an old adage that says something like you aren't really a gardener until you've killed every plant at least three times.

Take a step back and accept that you're going to make mistakes along the way... we all have and do. I started gardening long ago at around age 5 and had great teachers in my parents & grandparents who were farmers. That just means I learned a lot early on--it doesn't guarantee no mistakes. It only means I avoided a few.

1) When? I've heard fall.
A: For spring bloomers, it's best to divide in fall. For summer/fall bloomers it's best to divide in spring. Do your homework before you divide anything & keep in mind the plant needs time to recover. Dividing in the heat of the summer causes stress on the plants. Think about it... do YOU want to be running a marathon when the sun's broiling overhead and it's 95 degrees and humid?

2. How do I know where to dig? How far out around the base of the plant?
   A. Get a book on perennials from the library and read what it says about dividing them. I have several that have pictures & drawings illustrating the best techniques.
3. Won't I damage roots of other close plants?
   A: The chances of damaging the roots of other close plants is less if you use a spading fork as opposed to a shovel or spade. Chances are the roots of other close plants will survive whatever damage you inflict.
4. Do I replant the tubers immediately in the fall? Or keep in the basement til spring?
   A: Perennials belong in the ground, not in the cellar. It's recommended that the new planting hole is already dug, watered & waiting before you start dividing.
5. How do I know how many or what size to put back in the original spot?
   A: Depends on your goal--do you want the plant to grow back to its previous size quickly or are you willing to give it a season or two to recover?
6. Does anyone want to come help me?!?!? Haha
   A: N/A (No Answer)

Wow, those are beautiful irises! I don't think I've ever seen that color before. Do you have a name for them?

Dee

Bluebird - That iris is stunning!

Guys, thanks!!! I love my supportive gardening friends!! What a treasure you all are. Thank you especially to Gardenweed for the extremely detailed response.
Babs, can I send you some of the iris if I pluck up the courage to divide them? You've always been so helpful to me. I would like to gift you some.
Truthfully, most of my beds are so full that I don't know where I am going to put the divisions. Probably gift them away. My mother does like iris.
Here is another iris in a different spot. It probably also needs to be divided.

Both your irises are gorgeous. You might be a newbie, but your plants don't reflect it!

I'd also love to know the name of the cultivar of both your irises.

I wish I knew their names! I inherited them with my new house last year. Truthfully other than watering and winter clean up, I haven't done a thing to them.

Last year, maybe mid summer (in horrendous heat and humidity) I wanted to move some iris, so I plowed ahead and then after digging them up lost my get up and go and so set them aside until I could get them planted. Fall rolled around and I really did mean to get them in the ground....hmmm...didn't happen, so when bringing in some dahlias and cannas in late fall, I tossed the now pathetic looking iris tubers into the container of dahlias and cannas and stuck them in the basement in a fairly cool room. This spring I almost tossed the poor shrivelled up iris which still had the brown crispy leaves hanging on. Instead I set the tubers in a shallow pan of water out in the yard and ignored them. I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained! :-) When I looked at them about a week or so later, they had plumped up and had big white roots growing out of the tubers. I would love to say that I planted them straight away, but I was then starting a complete overhaul of the garden they would go into, so they sat for another few weeks. By this time they had nice green leaves. I finally got them in the ground about three weeks ago and they are doing great.

Daylilies?... well in doing the overhaul of that garden this spring, I took a shovel and "sliced off" a piece of my 'anzac' daylily. I gave away a big piece but the smaller piece that broke off got tossed beside a shrub. The shrub leafed out a bit more and I forgot the piece of daylily for a few weeks....okay about four!. Last Saturday I found it and not only did it look fine, but had produce two stems with lots of buds on each, so I took it to my son for his new garden.

This post was edited by greylady-gardener on Wed, Jul 10, 13 at 6:55