What is the best time for transplanting iris in southern Minnesota? I have a bed of "heirloom" iris that was a special interest of my late husband 15 or 20 years ago when he was still able to be active in the garden. All I have ever done with them is try to keep them weeded. Most of them are still blooming very nicely (finished about a week ago and I have removed the scapes). I know they really need to be divided and replanted... my guide will be The World of Iris, published 1978, but it doesn't tell me "when" to do this. Any advice will be much appreciated!

Linda, I would think July would be a good month to do it in your zone. They should have enough time to develop new anchor roots by winter to keep them from heaving out of the ground. Good Luck.

I don't know about northern irises, but here in Arkansas bearded irises are usually done blooming in May. The Arkansas Iris Society doesn't divide its show beds on the Arkansas capitol grounds till the end of August or even September in order to give the new rhizomes time to develop.

I pulled a few rhizomes from my bed last Sunday to share with my students and the new "baby" rhizomes are still tiny. Another two or three weeks wouldn't be enough to bring them to a good size. And of course this years rhizomes won't bloom again.

I know winter comes early up north, but I would wait till August to give your rhizomes time to develop.

Linda and Buzzbea424

hi linda and bea,

glad you looked in on the iris forum. this is a very lively group......you missed many of our bearded spring blossom posts. hope you take a look at the beautiful blooms in everyones' gardens, and become a bigger fan of irises.

In Minnesota, anytime between now and the end of July would be good. August would probably be OK, but the later you get into the month the more you will be pushing your luck. If you wait until September, you'll need to hope for a mild fall and late onset of winter.

Linda and Bea.

Linda. Love your kitty avatar. I agree with Tom and Kent that you don't want to wait too late to divide and replant them.

If I haven't already welcomed Linda and Bea I shall do so now. to the iris forum!

Thank all of you so much both for your advice and all of your welcome messages! Much appreciated!
Leslie - Marnie thanks you for your compliment, but wonders why everyone hasn't commented on how beautiful she is! Back to irises - I think I will wait until the middle of July to start this project. That will give me time to catch up on work with my daylilies... where I got behind because I was so busy deadheading peonies! Gardeners are never at a loss for something desperately in need of attention... right?

Linda, I think Marnie knows she is beautiful but tell her I swooned over her anyway. You are right about a gardener never being at a loss for things to do in the garden. I fall asleep at night not counting sheep but garden chores.

Welcome Linda!

If someone says they are "caught up" in the garden, then they're not a gardener. There's always something that needs to be done.

My Kitty said to say Hi to Marnie, and she is beautiful!

Lovely colors on Marnie, and everyone is so correct - there is always something needing doing in the garden. The only rest times here, really, are when it is raining, or when the temps are high as they have been this week, and that's an enforced kind of rest; there are still plenty of things that need doing! (I should have been using the indoors time for label making and catching up on looking at the daylily seedling photos, but instead have been resting/cleaning floors/dishes/laundry/chatting (long distance) with DSis and DD.)

I am caught up . . . .with one bed, now there's 12 more to catch up on, and then the first one will need work, and irises to be divided, and boxes to fill and send out, and new arrivals to be planted, and and and and . . . isn't it fun?

iciris said: Linda and Buzzbea424

@Buzzbea24 and @AlwaysbehindMN

alwaysbehindMN said:"Gardeners are never at a loss for something desperately in need of attention"... right?

Truer words were never spoken!!

alwaysbehindMN and Buzzbea424

I have just finished digging up those iris I wanted to move, and will be planting them tomorrow.
Here is a photo of the cleared area showing all the space now available for my 2 small mlokosewitschii peony seedlings to grow. If all goes well, I will need to move more plants "out" in 3 or 4 years!

Linda, ot the iris forum. The area you cleaned looks lovely, and your garden setting is absolutely gorgeous!