I've got a small bed with about 6 or so bearded Iris's in it that I want to relocate to a better place. They've been there for years and just haven't bloomed like we expected them to. Not one single bloom this year so far and maybe just a couple last year. When, how and where would be the best place to relocate these? Currently they're on the south side of the house between it and a crepe myrtle tree that shades them some of the day. Our soil is not that good either mostly clay.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Amending the soil with compost is one good way to boost iris blooms, in my experience, Chris.

Thanks Jan, that's what I intended to do I'm just wondering if this would be a good time to move them. I've got some garden phlox and some curcuma that I want to put where they presently are.

I'm moving things around, Chris. Watering them a lot to get them going in this heat. Cooler weather is better for moving plants, I think.

Thanks Jan, I'll have to figure out what to do with the other plants then until it cools off which will probably be in Oct.

I think moving irises when they go dormant in the heat is better for the plant. The heat is hard on the plant mover. Usually vendors dig and ship in July Aug and some in Sept. most of the vendors that I do business with like to ship from late July thru mid or late aug. this is usually after the spring bloom and full growth of leaves.

After the hotter months, and the irises break dormancy, you will see a period of growth before winter.

That's what I've read today also Bonnie and you're right it's going to be hard on me, the mover. I need to get this done so I can get the other two plants in place of them. I just need to find a really good spot to put the Iris's.

All good advice Chris.
If you are moving entire clumps you can move them almost any time after they are scheduled to bloom; just use a spading fork and lift the entire clump and place in the new hole but press in the dirt around the roots and keep the rhizomes at the surface. I then take the excess dirt from the new hole and place it into the old one. Amending with compost is a big help, and use a basic fertilizer once a year in the spring, but not with high nitrogen like that for sod. Water them in maybe 3 times a week for two weeks or so to get roots started and air pockets filled with soil. Clay can grow irises! I place "raw" compost between the rows/clumps; the roots grow into it as it decomposes.
Good luck with them; you should see improvement even by next season.

Thanks for the advice Dave. Now if it would just cool down some so I can get this done. I starred your reply so I can refer back to it.

Excellent advice, Dave, and a good reminder for me as I move my iris around.

I've done that too, and it works good if the clump isn't over grown. Sounds like your clumps might need to be thinned a bit if it's been 5 or 6 years. Over crowded rhizomes will often not bloom well or at all.

Good reminder Tom. Overcrowded rhizomes don't do well. My first iris moving adventure was to remove a "clump" of Mary Frances from a neighbor's place which was in a 3' by 4' area but had over 300 rhizomes in that "clump" and had not been touched since planting about 7 years earlier. I could not plant that many so just let a huge part of that clump just sit on the ground in a garden bed; they grew fine putting roots into the unprepared soil below. Made for lots of giveaways over the next 2 years!