What to do with Iris's in pots during winter

Hi,
This is my first post. I just joined yesterday. I live in Lancaster, PA. and hopefully will be moving back to Virginia soon. I started digging up and repotting my Iris's so I can take them with me. Since it may be a couple of months before we move, do I leave the pots outside or move them into the garage when the temperature gets close to freezing? Any help will be appreciated.

I live in a much warmer climate and I can leave mine out. You will find soooo many helpful people on this site and lots from your area who can answer your questions.

I once fell in love in Virginia so it holds a special meaning to me. Bet you're glad to be going back.

Welcome to Dave's and more especially the iris forum, there are some great folks on here.

What zone are you? I live in 6a (north-central Kentucky), and I have iris in pots every winter. I do butt them into the ground and cover them with pine boughs, but other than that, nothing. They do just great. Last winter we had an ice storm that left 3 inches of ice on top of each pot for over 2 weeks, but almost every one of them bloomed in the spring, IN the pots! The bigger pots you can use, the better. Even if you put many of them in one big pot, they will be better protected than one in a small pot.

Sue

mookmook, this is a question for pollyk - dmail her! she has a lot of experience.

I am not as cold as y'all come winter and I can leave mine outside. but in past I have left them between the raised rows of the regular garden and they may be getting some protection there, as we are surrounded by trees and some mulch effect between the pots was possible from fallen oak leaves and pine needles. I haven't had the mice problems (eating on the roots) that some have experienced, either.

one year I potted up two pots for sale the next spring and lost only about five pots to rot.

editted to add- that's not 2 pots, that should have been 200 pots, with only 5 lost.

This message was edited Oct 21, 2009 10:40 PM

Thanks Bonjon,

I do overwinter irises in pots for sale in my nursery. I dig a shallow trench and set the pots in it. I don't cover them at all. Never had any losses. I usually use gallon pots, but have used smaller when I was in a crunch at the end of the year. I use a bark based mix, (Metromix).

Only problem is going to be how much snow you get. Will you be able to get to them when it's time to move? If you're going to get a lot of snow, I would think an unheated garage would be fine for them until you move.

Thanks for the info. I just got back from Va. and my "Bountiful Harvest" Iris is blooming. What a nice homecoming! I think I will leave my potted Iris's outside either in a trench or against the side of the house for protection. I am worried about snow. We are zone 6 and sometimes get three feet and single digit temperatures. I have thought about bringing them into the unheated garage but not sure if that is whats best. They would get less moisture but probably wouldn't freeze. I have 170+ and would hate to lose any. I fell in love with Iris's as a child when my grandmother used to take me out in her garden and teach me all the names of different flowers and birds. Her Iris's were the old fashioned light purple ones but I still remember their smell. In the last few years I have really gotten into them and can't get enough. I was shocked to hear that people on e-bay are so dishonest. I did buy one from 2008seeds4u2009 "Berlin Purple Wine" and wonder what it will be when it blooms. I would have bought more but another e-bayer I bought Iris's from told me about the Dave's Garden site. I am so thankful!

Don't worry about the snow -- it is actually a great insulator and will keep the pots from drying out. The single digit temperatures are another matter -- you don't want the entire pot to freeze solid. Up against your house sounds like a great place -- will still get snow but will benefit from the heat that your house has.

Sue - Zone 6a

no wonder my potted irises do ok - single digits are uncommon here. when our math teacher tried to explain negative integers (sp?) in 8th grade by using negative temperatures, my native Raleigh classmates didn't have a clue what she meant! LOL

we might get some lower temps. more likely the pots would thaw every day to most every day.

This message was edited Oct 28, 2009 3:47 PM

If you have sufficient snow cover, I wouldn't worry about the pots. We have temps of -10 here and they do fine. But if I would you, I would probably hedge my bets, and do all three ways you suggested to overwinter them. Mine go in a trench about 3-4 inches down, and I don't cover them at all, due to the snow we get.

That is, if you're not going to go until after the snow melts. I wouldn't want to have to find them under three foot of snow.

MissIrisbert, I don't think the freezing would hurt them. Bearded irises are generally hardy to Z3, and considering they sit on top of the soil, and the soil in Z3 probably freezes down a foot or more, I think irises there generally are frozen down to the bottom of the roots.

We put seedlings in a trench over the winter, the reason being that roots are damaged more seaily in pots. We are 6a because of being close to the ocean, but friends west of Boston, zone 5 protect pots in the same way.