Another job jobbed

Posted on 1 Aug, 2008 2 comments

It rained this morning (it wasn’t forecast so I got wet coming back from the shops) but it did enable me to get a job done in the garden this afternoon that I hadn’t planned on doing today.

I have two narrow borders bordering a path planted with bearded iris. For two years, they give a really good display but then they start to go downhill. This is when all the irises need to be dug up, the old, non-productive parts of the rhizomes discarded, and new pieces replanted with the leaves cut to a few inches. This prevents wind rock and allows the roots to get a good hold without having to provide moisture for a huge sail of greenery.

The job took about three hours in all but hopefully I’ve got rid of all the non-productive bits of schizostylis between the iris, any small weeds nestling among the old rhizomes and it looks a lot tidier. It may take two years for the display to be at its best again but it’s something to look forward to again.