Since then, I was on the road and was not here to take care of them. Now I'm back and have finally pulled all the weeds out. PROBLEM 1, I have no idea what is what.
I know some were bearded, some not, some are the old fashion 'flags, etc. I'm guessing I'll have to wait until they bloom to be able to tell what is what?

PPROBLEM 2. Most of them have sunk way below the surface.
Everything sinks here I have to reset my paving stones, etc every year. Many of them ..the irises not the paving stones... are very small with no or practcally no rizome. Since I weeded, lots are showing up.

Should I wait until spring to do anything? Or pull them up where they are so they are not so deep? Should I feed them now or wait to see what survives the winter? We usually have mild winters here in East Texas.

Any help will be much appreciated

For instance, "Leaves 1/2"-3/4" wide and growing straight up: that must be one of the spurias I planted!" Or, "Leaves blue-gray and curved strongly to the outside: did I have any Arilbreds?"

As for them sinking, I've never heard of such a thing, before! Usually, Iris tend to rise to their preferred depth as they grow. They should do that in this case, too, but you may not get much bloom this spring. Have you been getting a lot of flooding, with silt washing in? Someone more familiar with the area may have to help with the sinking problem. You should still be able to replant the bulbs, especially if you can keep root disturbance to a minimum, though that will also tend to reduce bloom.

It sounds like a project. Good luck! : )

I also thought iris tended to rise, but mine definitely have not. None of them had the rizomes showing. And I know we did not plant ALL of them, around 150, that deep. The garden does slant down towards a swampy area, but DH's Grandfather used it for the 'house' garden and I don't remember problems with those plants. This fall we have had lots and lots of rain, and so could have had some silting. But they really look as if they have been down deep for some time.

I don't mind losing some blooms this spring, if I can save the plants....hopefully I have lots of years to enjoy them!
I thought about just lifting them where they are and packing dirt under them. The roots are quite long and look healthy...but many show no or little actual rizsome.

What are you thoughts about feeding or adding bone meal at this time? I have so many projects to keep me busy that I meet myself coming and going...That's what being on the road for 3 years will do for you. Oh well, we enjoyed the time on the road and at least this project is one I love to do.

Any time I spend in the yard, is like heaven to me.

Thanks again

If I just try to scrape the soil off, they will be 2 to 6 inches below the surface. Guess, I just have to try sticking new dirt under them.

We were up to visit the Cape late last summer, It was as beautiful as I all ways thought it would be. Hope to get back some time in the late spring.

The first thing I would have thought is that the wind--especially anywhere near the beach--was blowing sand in on top of the rhizomes. Do inert objects, such as bricks, tend to sink too?

Iris will survive being planted deeper in sandy soil than in clay soil, but they would be more likely to grow down to the new level, leaving the older part of the rhizome showing at the surface. By your description, the whole rhizome is sinking as if it had contractile roots like lilies, or a few other bulbs.

Question for the true gurus: Does anyone know if Iris do this?

When I planted them all, or rather most, were in full leaf. The leaves ran from 6 to 7 inches tall to very tall. The rhizomes were mostly three fingers width and about 3/4 of the lenght of my complete hand. They bloomed and were beautiful the first year...Then we started traveling and I wasn't there to see them. Now, most have leaves that are under 7 inches tall. Some have all most completely disappeared...as in the leaf is 3 to 5 inches tall and the rhisome is the size of a quarter. How much of this is due to sinking, bad mulching and/or poor nutrients, I don't know. But it makes me feel like a murderer!! I have given up on some other plants, but hate to do this with these. Especially since East Texas is known for it's perfect iris gardens!

I live on a sand hill, as I said earllier it does slant down towards a swampy area. My iron ore rocks, and the flat walkway pavers also tend to sink. Or maybe the rain splashes the sand up that high???? I do have a gopher and mole problem, but..not over the entire property. At the house we had in town, I didn't have this problem...but then that dirt had very little sand.

In my case, they would have sand splattered over the first 1' or higher. As the sun evaporates the rainwater, the sand has no choice but to dry and drop down in a pile at the base of the fans.

Things never seemed to suffer from it too badly, but I always scraped away the sand with my hands to expose the rhizomes in the early spring cleanings.

The moles always help to make a mess of things too. But, as you said, they don't work over the whole garden. I'm still pressing new plants back down in the soil at the new place (or lifting them from the bottom of a deer's hoofprint).

Thanks, Guess I'll be out rubbing the sand off and speaking nicely to all my irises from here on out.

It's great for Japanese that grow rhizomes on top of rhizomes, though, keeps them longer before i have to divide.

As to identifying the plants if you are not growing to resell just weed clean and I use 10-20-10 from Atwoods to ferterlize when that is not available 13-13-13 is all I can find at a reasonable price for a large garden. The weeds love it so I usually put a small amount at the base of the fan or in the center of the clump. For the fan I open a hole with a pointed hoe and my wife drops in a spoonfull. If I just scatter it on top it washes and I get a lot of healthy weeds.

When they bloom take photos and draw a garden map and put in sticks with row numbers so you can find the plant you want after the bloom. Then I would begin to replant them in a ordered garden scheme that is what you want the garden to become.

Any colors or plants you do not want there are always people willing to give them a home. We supply my Aunt and some neighbors.

We had much the same experience you had, an Iris grower had Knee replacement and her husband had had bypass surgery so they had their son plow up a new area close to the house and she brought a few of her favorites to the new garden. They were at a plant sale getting $1 a plant or had several in paper sacks for a bit more. We purchased a lot from them and she gave us a phone number and an offer to dig for free what she no longer could care later she invited area Iris Clubs to come and clear the field for plowing. It was a two and a half hour drive and I got lost twice. She had acres of Iris so we just touched the rows getting a few to a lot of about 100 different irises. We wrote the name on the T-Shirt bag in marker and loaded up the bags looked them up on line for a photo and planted for several days.

We had a 2 acre garden and were not there to take care of it so I ran the disc and left room between rows to run the disc for weed control between the Iris rows.

They are doing well some better than others and some are blooming this year. A few just died out they do not like the acid soil or the heavy rains of the last year.

We are looking to sell a few after retirement so will be thinning and adding some better with the goal to have just around 50 varieties to sell. Dykes winners for the past 20 years and some of the brighter colors that seem to do well on ebay. We have plants around the house and a half acre of Iris that will be for ones we like but do not have the market on ebay for selling well.

Bill