I missed dividing my irises this fall, kept thinking it was going to turn really cold soon and didn't want to take the chance. I need to get it done next year, some are really getting crowded and others I just want to divide so they'll spread. Hope you get exactly the look you're wanting, Mary!
So I did find a peony to divide and experiment on. Found a NOID languishing behind a huge agastache, ready to be overtaken and consumed within the next couple of years! Dug it up, luckily it was a smaller rooted one because the soil back there is like ROCK. Even though the roots were fairly small it had probably 15 stems last year and a lot of eyes, was able to divide it into 4 pieces with 8-10 eyes each. Planted the 4 pieces in a raised bed that I created for tomatoes that has been empty of everything except weeds for the last few years. Put nothing on the piece to the far left, next one will be my fall only application, 3rd will be fall/spring and last will be spring only. 3rd and 4th are at least 5' apart so I'm hoping the last one will remain Azomite free until I deliberately apply it next spring. Was going to take pics but I ran out of Azomite before I cut back the daylilies in front of that bed, looks a mess right now. Besides there's really nothing to see at this point, just 4 watered, relatively weed free spots! I did apply BulbTone to all of them. Did all fertilizing on top rather than in the planting hole, wanted to be able to keep fall and spring application methods the same and to simulate application as it would be on established peonies. Anyway, hopefully my method was controlled enough so that we can tell if there is going to be any difference in growth and flowering.
