That area was an iris patch until I tired of pulling weeds and trying to keep a neighbor's tree suckers from choking them. About 20 years ago, it was yellow clay with a slope to it. I put down about 4 inches of sand and about 80 bags of humus. I added probably another 200 bags of humus over the years so it tills into a loose loam. I figured it would be perfect for peonies except it does not have full sun. Sometimes that factor can be a blessing when the temp hits 100+ with no rain for weeks.
Yes, that single root is something I had not seen before. The original clump must have been a monster.
