Iris

lovely display. is it Iris siberica?
all i do with mine is dead head it and use the leaves as foliage interest. it still will do a nice job in the border. you could dig it up and put into pots but it must have been in for a few years to get to this size.

I'll just leave it then Sea'b'g as you suggest. There was no border there at all when I came here, but a lot of plants in what is now my kitchen. Before the builders could destroy everything I dug up as much as I could and moved it across the garden. The Iris is one of the survivors.

it was meant to be then. if something as pretty as this survives it deserves its place ;o)

It looks like Iris sibirica which is really tough so if it is just too big for where it is dig it up and divide it. You'll probably need two forks back to back as the root system is incredibly dense. Replant what you want, pot up other pieces and give them away. Keep yours very well watered - these are used as marginal plants which sit in water the whole time so you can't overwater them.

You don't always need to dig the whole thing up to divide it. I sometimes just slice off a chunk and leave the rest in the ground. It's quite a tough plant and should not mind this treatment.