Irises are some of the toughest perennials in the garden, which
makes learning how to care for irises easy. The first
consideration for planting new iris is what colors, size or
varieties you want. Irises grow from bulbs or rhizomes, which
are pieces of root. It's best to plant, or transplant, these in
late summer or early fall. Irises like full sun, and are tough
enough to survive in drier patches of garden. But good soil and
adequate moisture will produce the best flowers. If you have
good garden soil, additional fertilizer won't be necessary.
Rhizome iris clumps grow by spreading outward in all directions,
so new plantings should allow room for growth that doesn't
interfere with other plants. Clumps that have grown too big
don't flower as well, If your irises have grown into a circle
with a dead zone in the middle, it's time to thin. Dig them out
with a shovel. Discard roots that are damaged or dried up.
Transplant unblemished rhizomes to other parts of the garden,
about 3 inches deep, with the leaf ends u