his weekend I separated a lot of bearded iris for transplanting and giving away. This is partly in response to their attempted garden coup and partly in prep for another raised bed.
Getting started. On the left you can see the rhizomes in the ground. They were crowded and rising up, so it's time for some separation. If you want to learn more about the process from a pro, here's a great link from Colorado Yard Care. In the middle photo you can see the clumps after I've dug them up but before I started pulling them apart. The idea is to get rid of the old rhizomes that are done blooming and keep the young side rhizomes that have new leaves and will bloom in the figure. The right photo is my nice shading working area. Just-dug iris in the pot on the left, a trash can, and the final separated and cleaned-up iris starts.
On the left - the pots with different iris types in each; middle - sorted into piles for friends so everyone gets a mix of the short & tall iris; right - packed and ready for pickup by friends.
I also had to replant some of my favorites for myself. I generally opt for the classic grouping of plants with rhizomes facing each other (left). I also planted a few as individuals (right). I am FAR less careful about this than the video shows us. Iris are tough nuts and can handle very careless planting as long as you don't bury the rhizome.
Why do this now? Iris go dormant for a while after they bloom so the timing is perfect. This will also let the iris get established in their new homes before winter arrives. So July & August are the time to do this in WV.