Expert: Long Island Gardener - 8/15/2007

Question
My home is in Florida but I have a summer home in Western North Carolina near Asheville.  This is the first time I have been able to plant bulbs.  I have a rather large bed of bearded iris that are about 5 years old.  They did not bloom much this past spring.  I feel that I should separate the bulbs.  When should I do this?  When do you feed bulbs and what do you feed them.  Should I water them if it does not rain?  How can I know which part of the bulb to plant...How close do I plant the bulbs?  Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks

Answer
Bearded Iris are very hardy plants that really do not need a lot of attention.  University of Utah posts a cheat sheet on these plants for your reading pleasure:

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/iris.pdf

Keep your Irises weed-free and cut stalks cut near the base, close to ground, to encourage future flower-forming growth.

Irises multiply out from the center.  A few months of this, and the center begins to dry out.  That's why they urge gardeners to divide them every three or four years.

Irises wane as they become increasingly crowded 3 to 4 years.  Divide and conquer.  They'll come back big and strong and beautiful.

Let me know if you need instructions on dividing.  There are some great websites out there with illustrated steps.  Thanks for writing.