I plant iris for clumps and have a question as to which direction to place the three "fingers" or "peace sighs"
Do I aim them inward or outward?

Jo Ann, I don't do this often, but when I do I set the rhizomes facing each other, kind of how they would grow naturally. Just my preference though, no real scientific reason. I leave enough space so that they can spread some though. Good luck.

That sounds logical and it's how I have been planting.My new iris community has doubled in the past 2 years.I just thought of this.
I'm instinctive and impulsive,often think about what I'm doing after the deed is done.

Because most of the increase comes off of the 'heal' of the rhizome I plant 3 in a triangle with the the 'toes' all pointing the same way. If you plant with the toes pointing in you will have a circle with old rhizomes in the middle in a couple of years with the new growth around the circle. If you plant with the heals pointing in the new growth will soon crowd each other. A lot of this depends on how often you want to replant. That's my thinking....

So there is no hard and fast rule ,just which kind of gardener you are.
Well O.K. then I only want to plant once and will reverse my rizomes so new growth comes off the inside.Just plant the triangle with more space between new fingers.
I am so happy that I started my 5 year plan and factored in my ageing.I just dont need to dig as many holes anymore but there are more lilies coming as well as daffs .I try to keep replanting at a minimum.

I also plant in triangles -- the toes of the rhizome facing me, the heels facing back. Baby rhizomes grow off the sides of the mother -- so subsequent generations will grow backwards and off both sides of the original rhizome. This minimizes crowding and therefore future digging. So my garden looks like this:



X X X

X X X X X X

Hi,! You got it,Jo Ann! I am begining to adopt the policy of "plant what you like ,where you like, plant a LOT of it, and let the strong survive! My B-day was the 28th, and somebody said something about "middle age", I told them that I didn't think I'd live to see 128( I turned 64) so that meant I was OLD, not middleaged! At least old enough to know what I want, even if it's not practical! But as to the iris, I usualy plant 4, about 10"-12" apart, in a box pattern with 1 pointing each direction(N,S,E,&W, or up, down, left, &right). Seems to make a nice clump, spreads" out"nicely, and dosen't crowd too bad in the center. The center is where I always "steal" starts from, anyway....Arlyn

Ditto here, the fans (leaves) to the outside of the triangle. Toes in.

When my message posted above, it did not show the triangles that I typed. Oh well..................................

I am getting it. Dumb luck has me doing heals in on most and toes in on some.I think I am ahead.
Now I cant wait for spring.Its only 9 months away.

Now if you are planting beardless here is what I do, I plant a clump of 5 fans at 5 different points of a circle, that way I can dig every other clump and still looks like a bigger clump

d

My Mid America order came and I am overwhelmed with how fat and healthy they look.
Average sized cat in pix shows rizomes bigger than his paws.


There was a conjoined rizome that counted as one of the three I ordered in that variety

Hi,! Great roots! Should take off like a rocket!...Arlyn

They look wonderful!

Can you please post pictures over on our receipt report.

Thanks!

http://cubits.org/irisforum/th...

Beautiful rhizomes, JoAnn. Also a beautiful cat -- a silver tabby, I presume?

Polly,I posted on cubits this morning.It was the first thing I thought of when I woke at 5 AM.

Mary-Ann: That is my Brown Tabby Jerry.He is my "little old man" 17 years old this year.
He had a silver tabby brother until last year.I dont want to change the subject here but if anyone is considering a cat,Tabbys are smart,loyal,and cuddly.I recomend the breed.The brothers were shelter cats.

Seventeen????????? Oh my goodness JoAnne -- that's phenomenal! The longest I've ever had a cat live is 15 years. That's testimony to your excellent care! I have three Tabby's right now -- each one a different shade of orange (ginger) -- and one is a marbeled. Whoops! I have four Tabby's, not three -- I forgot the stray tomcat that has decided to live here. He's mostly white with pale tan tabby stripes -- very unusual -- with blue eyes!! Can't resist a photo or two.................





OK -- no more cat talk from me, guys!!

Thanks, Jo.

What's wrong with cat talk. Jo started this thread and she loves cats, LOL.

I didn't know cats had different dispositions. Ours is just a stray gray and white striped. Even after 8 years or so here, she's skittish. Someone apparently dropped her off. We heard meowing in the shed area a few times, but couldn't find anything, but one day our plow person opened the garage door and in came Orange Peel, and she never left. Orange Peel for the orange on her forhead. OP for short. But she will get on our laps. And loves the grandkids.

Oh -- vastly different dispositions, Polly. I deal with quite a variety since we always have at least a half-dozen barn cats who enter our lives randomly and leave when they make mistakes -- autos and coyotes, mostly. Just to give you an example -- Criss (the kitty I posted pictures of) showed up at our barn the same time as a black tuxedo cat, about six months ago. Both were very skittish and ran away whenever they caught sight of us. At this point in time, we have befriended Criss, who loves to be petted and cuddled and is almost ready to be picked up and held. Tux tolerates us being in the barn at the same time as him, as long as we're on the main floor and he's in the loft. Mostly he prefers that we're nowhere around. Totally feral -- and will likely never anything but.

Does your cat have the color orange on her forehead, or the shape of an orange?

So much for no more cat-talk, eh?

You know how I am when it comes to going on and on about something.I just didnt want to pirate the thread.