Dividing Bearded Iris: When, How, and Replanting Tips

Refresh crowded clumps and gain new plants by dividing rhizomes after bloom (in desert areas, wait until soil cools in fall).

1. Lift rhizomes gently with spading fork or spade; shake off soil. Cut parent rhizome into segments, each with a leaf fan. Trim leaves to ~6″.
2. Let cuts heal a few hours. Replant divisions 1 ft apart, leaf fans parallel, facing full sun. Set rhizomes barely below surface; in hot-summer areas, cover with ½″ soil.