You are more than welcome and thank you for the feedback! We are pleased to learn it was very helpful.

Thank you for the lovely comments! Very good to know that you benefited from the videos.

this information is so helpful, and this is the only video i have watched that mentions this in terms of the orientation of the rhizomes and leaves other than to view them from the side or face on. Thank you!

Thank you for viewing the video and your positive feedback. Happy to hear that you found it informative.

Nice to hear! Thank you for letting us know.

Thank you for the comments and for watching the video!

Thank you very much for watching and finding the video helpful and letting us know! Especially nice to hear from another Master Gardener in a different growing zone.

You are more than welcome!

Thank you for watching the How-to-videos about dividing and planting Iris. We really appreciate comments that let us know that our videos are informative and helpful.

What time of year?

The reason I recommend not composting any diseased material is that in my Zone 3 climate we typically don't get a long enough period of hot weather where the compost can really heat up and destroy the pathogens and therefore prevent the spread to other areas in your garden when you use the compost. Also backyard compost "operations" are usually fairly small so again don't really heat up to the point where disease pathogens get destroyed. If you can test the temperature of your compost pile and find that it gets hot enough, then try composting the cut leaves. I would still not use any soft or rotten rhizomes.

Thank you for watching and the questions! There is a risk of spreading disease through compost since most "home composting" methods do not destroy the pathogens that can be in the leaves and rhizomes especially since Iris leaves are thick and fleshy and take time to break down. What to do with rhizomes you can't immediately plant. I would suggest potting them up in spare pots and keeping these in a protected space or dig the pots into a spare bed for over winter. If you want to try to store just the rhizomes, with good healthy roots, you would have to remove almost all of the leaves and soil. Allow the rhizome to dry well and dust it with some garden sulphur. Store in a cool, dry, dark place. Some sources suggest the refrigerator, but that can lead to either too much moisture or in a frost free frig possible dehydration. You could space the rhizomes between layers of newspaper, but you don't want moisture to get in as this will cause them to rot. In spring, if they feel firm and healthy soak the roots in water for a few hours and then plant. These will take more time to get established and will not produce any blooms until the following season.

Thank you for your question and watching the video! After viewing the video and looking in my records, the only plant that I can see that is "purple" is an annual Cosmos that I planted that year. Unfortunately I did not record which one it was and I no longer have the seed order records either. All I remember is that they were not the colour I expected them to be and they tended to get floppy so I didn't plant them a second time.

Thank you! The yellow flowers are a Heliopsis variety of perennial. As this plant has been passed down through generations, the variety is not known.

If your plants have started to show signs of new growth, it is best to let them grow and bloom and once the blooms are finished, you could divide them at that time. Unfortunately, that is often when hot weather starts and that can stress the plants. You could move them in April, but you may lose this years blooms and those rhizomes would not develop. Plant about three rhizomes together to have better success if transplanting in April. Thank you for watching and we appreciate questions.

Thank you for your question regarding your Iris. If the Iris have grown into a clump, some of the rhizomes will be dried up and useless. You should dig up the entire clump and examine the rhizomes carefully. If there are any that are firm and have nice fleshy light-coloured roots, they should still be viable. There may just be a small node on the top of the wide end where the leaves would grow from. If however, the rhizomes are dry and hollow with shrivelled roots, they would not be viable and should be discarded. If you find some that look like they will grow, be sure to remove any grass roots from around them since you don't want a grass problem.

@@manitobamastergardenerassoc thank you so much! This is the most helpful video.

Brown eyed Susan's

Thank you for watching our video! This is an unknown variety of Heliopsis, a perennial in our Zone 3 gardens. As it has been passed down through the generations that is the reason the variety is unknown.

@@manitobamastergardenerassoc thank you!

In our Zone 3 climate Iris is divided in mid to late August.

I prefer to use a spade when digging up perennials that need dividing in my garden because the clay soil is easier to dig with a spade then with a garden fork. I can get the large clump out and then deal with separating the divisions once the whole clump is out. Also I have done more damage by digging into unseen bulbs or roots with a fork than with the spade. If your soil is sandy or is dry and loose you can use a garden fork to dig up your Irises. Which tools you use are usually determined by your garden conditions and also personal preference."

The thinking is always to be cautious with "diseased" material. Unless the Iris is something special that you want to try and save, I would tend not to try grow rhizomes that have had rot. It may regrow but how vigorous will it be? Plant in a different spot and best to keep it away from other Irises.

Sorry to learn you were disappointed.