The Doddington Method
Described by Antony Jarvis from Doddington as a trouble free way to divide irises, this system has been used successfully in their gardens for the last twenty eight years. He describes the advantages as a regular flowering, combined with speed and physical convenience.
Antony has worked on the premise that irises set their flower initials in August,; this determines how many flowers each stem carries the following year . The traditional method involves disturbing the flowers at the critical point that flowers are being set, and this is borne out by the poor flowering record noted the year after ‘splitting’ takes place. This makes it an attractive alternative and well worth a try.
The Process
Split the irises every year just after they have finished flowering in June
Split the individual plants with a light spade, leaving the part to be retained in the soil. Remove 30-50% of the plant mass. See illustration on where to cut
After splitting, cut back the early summer leaves on the remaining stems, and cut or break the stems at the base
After splitting top dress the plants with bonemeal that is raked in between the plants
When deciding which plants to keep, chose fat, first year shoots, with two shoots carrying the early summer leaves. Chose rhizomes that point in the direction you wish the plant to develop
One further advantage of the system is that the whole process can be done from a standing position, using a light fork and spade, with a pair of shears.. With no replanting of irises involved, the task is far quicker than the traditional method
If you find awkward gaps, irises can be replanted to fill the spaces, and because this is done in June, there is every prospect they will flower the following year
When switching to the Doddington system, it may take a year or two before you reach a steady state.
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