As they grow, they come to the top of the ground. I start about 4 inches
back from the plant and dig straight down, and walk around the plant doing
that. then I get the whole thing to come up. Then you can clean it off
with a water hose, and you will see how to break it apart. Lay one piece
back where you took it up, and transplant the rest, or give them away or
compost them. I have laid them out (not in the sun) and let them dry for a
few days, and them put them into paper bags sorted according to colors, and
planted them the next year. They can survive up to a year that way. You
can plant them by throwing them on the ground. I like to do it so you can
see the tops of them sticking out of the dirt. If you split them right away
after they bloom, you might get them to bloom the following summer, if not,
you will have to wait two years.

Yours have been there 10 years, they will be very big and heavy. If you
don't want to go to all that work, you can take a shovel and cut the plant
into fourths, or sixths and transplant the chunks. Leave one where it is,
and don't disturb the roots that feed it, and it will probably bloom the
next year.

Have fun. Dwayne

"jammer" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 24 Feb 2003 22:14:28 -0700, "Dwayne" wrote:

I have seen roses and iris around graves we have visited. The roses
cant
be the climbers, because you will have to prune them each year to within
12
and 18 inches from the ground. They produce very nice. Iris are nice
also,
but don't bloom long. They also have to be dug up every 3 or 4 years,
split
apart and replanted.

Good lucik. Dwayne

I have never seperated my irises and i have had them for 10 yrs? Good
grief! No wonder they hardly bloom anymore! They were moved last year,
but i didn't know to seperate them.

·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
jammer
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸