well there are a lot of variables to gardening. One thing I am dealing w here is the soil-too heavy. And SO much work to haul it out and fill it in w good stuff. At my old place the soil was really good and I didn't have that problem. But I think if I keep working on it for the next 3or 4 years it will improve alot. The better the soil is of course the easier they are to pull weeds out and the healthier the plants grow so there are less problems. Good soil=less work=more ability to have more plants.
Julie, I have had to go the opposite way, I started w 3 ft centers and quickly learned that it left too much room between for weeds, and that by the clumps grew that large anyway, I couldn't physically handle them to dig and divide. So now I am planting 18inches-2ft apart. They can still grow pretty good sized and bloom nice, and I can handle them better. I guess it just depends on how large you want the clumps to mature to and what you can handle.
My iris are root shallow so they are super easy to divide. But they don't crowd the weeds out as well as daylilies.
I do not deadhead, only if I have special company coming or if I am doing photos. Other than that, they do not bother me and it is just part of the plant. I did have a plant once that bloomed so much that the dead blooms were distracting, and I ended up culling it. New Note I think was it.
