Only because they have Never bloomed do I recommend doing this as soon as your soil is warm enough to work. Normally it would be done after spring bloom. As soon as their new sunny bed is ready, dig them up; shake off excess dirt; toss all dead-dried out-shriveled old rhizomes; break off the fat firm rhizomes having a fan of leaves; cut roots and leaves to 6 inches; let them sit overnight in a dry shaded place; plant with tops of rhizome exposed. One method of planting is to use 3 rhizomes sticking out from a center point (leaf end out 'cause that's the direction the rhizome will grow). 3 feet away repeat with another 3 rhizomes. If you're worried about where to break them, relax. I have seen iris grow from a rhizome 1 1/2 inches long or shorter. Since that is their food storage tank I like them 4-5 inches long. A google search on bearded iris culture will hopefully turn up some sites with drawings.

Jean, I hoped you'd see this post. Thanks! This is the second year that I've had this problem. It's just worse than last year. Both, the 1st year canes and the fruiting ones are showing stress. Some of the 1st year raspberries are turning dark green and wilting, and then dying. Some of them are just getting dry leaves. I try to not overwater, but maybe that's the problem. I've heard about root rot and have tried to avoid it. The marionberries are more of a concern Last fall I noticed the leaves all turning brown on the fruit bearers, but I thought it was just too much sun and too little water. I didn't worry much, but this year some of the first and second year canes are looking stressed. I have a big problem with gophers/moles/mice burrowing under the berry row and wonder if they might be causing probs. Also, I'm surrounded by a lot of wild berries and wonder if they are spreading disease. I'm a fairly new gardener to Vernonia and am having a lot of challenges. These things didn't happen in my Salem garden.

After introducing my cat, who wasn't old, but had never seen a dog EVER, and my boyfriends 10 year old boxer-pitbull the WRONG way, I'd say definately seperate them. Our big guy thought kitties were play things, he'd never hurt but boy did he like to chase. Well, we brought big guy into the house on a leash, wrongly hooked up to his tag ring instead of collar (bad boyfriend!) he saw the cat, tried to run, snapped his tag ring and the chaos was on. I didn't see kitty for days and days, and it took months and months for her to even enter the same room as him. Now she's alright around him. She doesn't like him, but she'll sniff him, flick her tail at him and walk away. However, I think she'd have been much quicker to come around if her first experience wasn't so traumtic and scary. I should've seperated them! And I still can't forget the second night big guy stayed over. We put him in the garage and went for dinner, came home when it was pitch black out and found him at the front door wagging with what looked to be my dead cat. I screamed and then discovered it was not a dead cat, but a stuffed lion toy. So for your sanity's sake, seperate them and make sure you REALLY close the doors when you do, so you don't have an incident when you come home, haha.

Yes, the blocked vent is in this bathroom. WHY WOULD ANYONE IN WISCONSIN TILE A BATHROOM AND COVER THE HEAT SOURCE? Good grief. I washed part of a wall and got the paste off easily with vinegar and tea tree oil, the mold appears about 50% lighter. With no trim, floor or fixtures, it seems a good time to just tear out the drywall. At least I can raise the light fixture to an appropriate height and get rid of the recessed t.p. holder too. Maybe add sound insulation. So much for a mini reno.