Yeah, we finally got the bearded irises transplanted. The bed they were in has to be totally reworked. It is under a big oak and we have amended it till we are blue in the face. It had honeysuckle growing wild and now has a mat of fibrous roots through the whole bed. We have tilled, added peat moss, oak leaf mold, more dirt and it is still messed up. I am waiting for my yellow spider lily (lycoris) to flower then the whole bed will be dug up to find the other bulbs for transplanting. I have some very unimpressive cannas I think I will move there. They should get enough light in the morning. I think the beards will be happier in their new home.
I bet the bearded irises will be happy to see the back of that bed Once those roots get stuck in it's pretty hard to get the buggers out. I wish you and your irises luck Sharon
I need to divide my bearded iris bulbs this fall and find a new bed for them too. I planted them 4 years ago next to the tiny Fig tree and now they are swamped by it. I have heard that Oak roots are very delicate, if you do much digging and cultivating around them you can kill the tree. I have a volunteer Oak tree sapling that is about 4 feet tall now and I need to do some research on whether what I heard is correct or not, so I can start moving plants now without damaging the tree if necessary.
I don't think it is the oak roots causing the problems in this bed, I think it is these other little trees that keep coming up and the honeysuckle roots that were left. Eventhough the honeysuckle is gone it seems as if the dead roots are still there. I don't know if this is possible.
I have an Iris bed that needs thinned out this fall too! I'm waiting for my husband to till the new bed. I've read that iris like aged manure. Any truth to that? I was going to have him till in old manure when he made the new bed for me. We have a couple of wonderful iris farms in the Wilamette Valley. I wonder if Prim has ever seen them. They are closer to her than they are to me. I bought a few re-blooming iris from them. They actually bloom a second time in the fall! Deanna :-D
I've only seen them in pictures - I want to go! There's a marvelous tulip farm up here in the spring, just amazing to see, a sea of color. Reblooming irises - woot, now I want some of those too.
I would do a search on the manure ?. I know some bulbs can't tolerate manure, daffodils for sure. It makes them rot.
