Follow Us!
† Requires Javascript
Copyright © 1997-2009 Demand Media. All rights reserved.
|
| Member | Message |
|---|---|
 |
Posted: Feb/15/2008 3:07 PM PST
I was a complete foreigner to bulb/rhizome gardening until a few years ago when we completely relanscaped out yards ourselves. I got a great deal on some flowers that I have always been a big fan of and went to town planting bulbs... without realizing that they need to be split every few years. Well, it has been a few years now and I've always been too chicken to divide anything for fear of killing them. But, they have gotten so overcrowded that last year's showing of flowers was noticeably less impressive than the year before's. I have irises, daylilies, calalilies, tulips, and oriental lilies. I know just by looking at them that the calalilies, daylilies, and irises are in need of separating. Do any of the others require separating as well? Also, what is the best time of year to divide each of them? They're all just beginning to sprout now so I'm guessing I've missed my window for this blooming season. Also... one of my irises was sold as a "double blooming" variety, which from what I read, I thought meant that it would bloom once in spring and again in fall, but it never has. I didn't know if/when I should cut off any of the growth after it bloomed in spring though... maybe I should be trimming it down once the first bloom starts to fade? I'm new here, so any advice is welcomed and appreciated greatly!! 
|
 |
Posted: Feb/15/2008 5:06 PM PST
I have never split anything that grows from a bulb, but I have split lots of daylilies. You can split them now if you want. When you dig it up you will see that there are numerous tubers with plants attached. You can pull these apart and replant - as long as it has a tuber attached it should grow. I have also read that you can slice up the tubers vertically and get lots of babies. |
|
|
Posted: Feb/15/2008 6:19 PM PST
I'm really excited about splitting my daylilies because they haven't bloomed much the last few years from overcrowding. The bad part is.. they're planted around my picket fence, which has rock around all the plants so digging them up will be NO FUN
|
 |
Posted: Feb/17/2008 5:02 AM PST
I used to be nervous about it,too! But dividing them is so worth it! I basically do the same thing with the tubers. Dig up a large clump and divide them... throw out any that are mushy. Bulbs do not have to be divided as often, do basically the same thing. Dig a large clump and find the bulbs and see what needs dividing. Once you get in and play around the dirt it will all come clear(as mud) LOLOL Have fun. Heres to beautiful gardens!! |
 |
Posted: Feb/17/2008 6:17 AM PST
Is it possible that "double blooming" refers to the number of petals on the flower? Like, is the flower twice as full as the usual iris? Unless of course it said that it would bloom in spring and fall. I read in a deadheading guide that Siberian Iris will not rebloom after deadheading, you would just want to cut the flower off after it has faded to keep things looking tidy. Maybe that applies to most other iris as well. |
|
|
Posted: Feb/17/2008 9:59 AM PST
Thanks for all the advice (and encouragement lol). Once it gets warm enough I'm gonna get out there and dig up my daylilies. Yeah, the irises are supposed to bloom in spring and again in fall... so maybe this year I'll try just trimming off the dead bloom and seeing what happens. I'll do some research online too about how I should be pruning it. Even with just one bloom each year, it's still a gorgeous lavender and gold iris. |
 |
Posted: Feb/18/2008 1:25 AM PST
mzlove, I dig up my clumps of daylillies every few years as needed and divide. Some of them will be pretty tightly grown together and hard to pull apart. You can just use a spade to cut down the clump and then soak them in a bucket of water to try to loosen the soil and pull them apart. When I replant I usually plant a few of the tubers together or the first year or so the clump will look kind of puny. In some cases I put my spade down he middle of a clump and take about half out and leave half. Then the next year or so do the same thing with the older clump you left..does that make sense to you? It is kind of hard to explain..LOL Daylillies are very tough.. you could probably throw one on the ground and it would take root..LOL |
 |
Posted: Mar/02/2008 7:37 AM PST
Cut the stem as soon as the blooms are finished as low as possible and start to fertilize to get those fall blooms. The growers dont cut the stalk,they slide their hamnd down the stem to the bottom then they give it a quick bend down and it snaps off cleanly.Do not put stalks or leave in you mulch pile. Bill |
|
|
Posted: Mar/02/2008 7:39 AM PST
So sorry I'm referring to Iris. |
† Requires Javascript
Copyright © 1997-2009 Demand Media. All rights reserved.
