DIVIDE IRISES

TO KEEP tall bearded irises young, lift and divide them now, before the roots turn dormant. Take a fork and gently lift the old plants. Shake the soil off the roots and tease the rhizomes apart. Select as many young rhizome divisions as you need and plant them immediately where you want them to flower, with roots submerged and firmed into the soil but the rhizomes showing on the surface.