Irises: Iris Nursery, 1 by zacattack

zacattack wrote:
Hi Ev... glad your irises survived the storm and you came through in pretty good shape. I have a friend that lives in Galveston, and he came through Ike ok, but he has a friend that came back to a home that was a complete loss. By the way... those were some great photos you took of the surrounding area after Gustav..

I have almost identical shelving for storing my potted iris. You have an advantage with the containers holding the pots... looks as though they block some direct sunlight that would otherwise hit the pots and possibly overheat the soil/roots around the edge of the pot. It's best to block the pots from direct sunlight using a thin strip of ridgid plastic, styrofoam, etc... about the height of the pots. Something that can be attached to the shelving with clothes pins or clips is very easy to use.

In your climate, I wouldn't be concerned about getting the plants out of the pots and into the ground right away. Unless the ground is frozen and prevents you from planting, you should be safe planting from pots year round, except during the blazing summer in direct sun, where some temporary shading would help. Many of the iris that I overwinter in 6" plastic pots bloom come spring. The key to growing in pots for me has been to use a very well drained soil mix. I've had best results using a mix of about 50/50 washed brick sand and spaghnum moss. A store bought mix containing bark has caused me the most problems, with the bark encouraging some rot. The ones I'm planting now that were put into pots a month or two ago are just filled with new roots. To brighten up the post... here's a photo of Blond Bombshell blooming in a pot. I just moved it into the garden to get a better photo.

From what I can see, I really like the looks of your home and backyard. Good luck with the potted iris, and your new beds and fence.

Dan