Because it's so late in the year, I'm thinking you'd best wait. (Patience can be a gardener's best asset, and it's always in short supply.) If you lift the rhizomes now, there's not going to be enough time for them to develop a root structure before winter sets in in earnest. That said, if you lift them when they break dormancy, you risk losing the next bloom cycle. Perhaps the best alternative is to wait until they have bloomed in the spring, then raise them onto a new mound.

Kay

Don't worry about them. A number of growers now plant their rhizomes with a bit of soil over the top.

Thanks for the info. The other day I looked closer at them. It looked like their rhizomes (now I know the proper word) were all about 1/2" to 1" under soil. In the spring they were all above ground.

I didn't lift them but I did take some of the soil off the rhizomes. Hopefully that will make them happier this winter. I was surprised at how much lower in the ground they all were.

Its perfectly fine to have a thin layer of dirt over the rhizomes but if in doubt take a hose and spray the dirt around the rhizomes away.

That way you don't disturb the roots. When planting a new plant I don't worry about it if they are a bit under the dirt because the roots will gradually push the rhizomes up.