I hope I didn't just kill a bunch of iris!!

I have a bunch of iris that I dug the other day. I dug them and left them in the yard. It rained overnight and washed them. They laid in the yard for a few more days. (Life has not been condusive to getting things done)
So, when I got time yesterday, before it rained again, I...
Cleaned off all dead (brown or dry) leaves
Cut away the obviously old and dead portions of root system
Chopped off the tops of the leaves (leaving 1" to 2 1/2" foliage)
Made sure the dirt was all gone and
put some in paper bags and some in plastic boxes with holes.
They are now in my candle shop which is fairly rustic right now (no heat or insulation)
Please, please, please tell me I did not do all of this wrong. I read several articles, combined all advise and did it Lori's way.
I am extremely new to this site and have never dug an iris without intent to (now I would call it murder) remove it.
If I can get my spot ready, I intend to plant some of these back soon - others will be stored until spring.

While I am at it, I have a ton more questions. Can someone tell me if I am doing the right thing posting in this forum?

Hi: Welcome to Dave's. Glad you asked questions. And, yes you are posting on the right forum.

Actually irises are easy to grow. However, you trimmed back too much of the leaves. About 6" is about right. They retain food for the rhizome.

How long do you intend to store them.? If only a few day, they will be ok in paper bags, but not in a plastic box. They need air to circulate and condensation may set in, inside a box. When I order irises and can't plant them right away, I put the roots in a shallow pan with just enough water to cover the roots, not the rhizome. I change the water every day. What will happen is that they soon start to develop nubs which grow into roots.

Another way is to buy a large bag of potting soil. Slit the bag lenghtwise and then plant the rhizomes in there.

Also you can heel them in temporarily. Just pick a spot in your garden and bury them up to the rhizome. You can lay them sideways for a while. I personally wouldn't store irises dry over the winter. It is better then to pot them up in 4-6" pots using potting soil. They can be left outside that way all winter. Water them as needed since you live in a warm climate. Store the pots out of the sun, then re-plant them in the spring. I am in zone 4, WY so really not familiar with your climate.

You are welcome to ask any questions you want. That is what forums are for.

Well, crap!! I guess other than cutting the top off too short maybe I did ok. I moved into this house four years ago and the iris was here. They are all one color - peach. They were no longer really blooming so I looked up what to do and dug them puppies up. Now all of the sudden, I am attached to each and every rhizome. I saved them from quite large to little bitty. Now for the problem - I am giving some away but there will be plenty go to waste if they need to be planted soon.
I really, really, want other colors but have waited too late it seems. All peach iris is kinda bland.

I am so excited about getting iris started!
Can they be planted next to your foundation. That is where these were but was kinda questioning the damp soil and possilbe bugs. My neighbors will not take any of the darned things. Seems they traded these around out here several years ago and two of the three neighbors I have talked to moved everything away from their foundations because they had termites.

I have some of mine planted 1 ft away from the foundation and they do fine. However, I have no termites. Actually termites go after wood, not plants. The irises probably didn't bloom because they were too crowded so you did right to divide them.

Peach is a pretty color. Too bad you don't have photos of them to post on Daves. Many people trade irises here.

If you are interested in purchasing irises try Schreiners next season when they have their half price sale. That is where I get mine. Be careful buying on Ebay. There is a thread in the iris forum that have names of both good and fraudulant sellers on Ebay. I think the thread is ID of an Ebay Seller, or somthing like that.

Yes, we do get attached to each rhizome. It isn't worth to save the small ones since the large ones will produce more next season. It could take itty small ones 3 years to bloom.

While you are waiting to be able to buy more irises, practice on those you have. When you plant the rhizome, plant it so that the top of the rhizome is level with the soil. They like the top of the rhizome exposed to the sun to bloom.

go to www.schreinersgarden.com for information on irises and to see the beauties they have to sell.

Hi enidcandles, and welcome to Daves Garden!

I live in Z6, and I think you might be Z6 or 7. You are a little warmer than we are.

I winter over lots of irises in pots. Just pot them up, as you would plant them in the ground, with the top of the rhizome out of the soil, a little. My grandaughter loves the phrase like a duck sitting on water. Water them occassionally, unless you've had rain. Put the pots out of the sun. You can put quite a few in a pot if you're just using it to store them. I wouldn't store them dry over winter either.

Foundation planting should be fine unless it gets too wet there. You mentioned wet, and irises like dry.

It's funny you're now attached to every rhizome. I can understand that.

Peach is a beautiful color in irises. I think it looks so pretty with dark purple. We do a lot of trading on this forum, so stick with us, and next year, take pictures and put some of those irises up for trade, and I bet you'll get lots of takers.

We have lots of discussions on this forum about where to buy good irises, and we actually have a bearded iris grower on the forum, irisloverdee, whose nursery Snow Peak is rated #1 for bearded irises on gardenwatchdog. She recently had surgery on her knee, but is normally on here to answer any questions. Me, I'm a beardless person, loving siberians and Japanese, so i don't help much with the bearded questions, but because I sell them in my nursery, I do know how to overwinter them.

And absolutely, this is the forum to ask questions about irises on. Ask away, any questions. And stick with us. We're a great group, and you'll love it here.

Welcome from Thackerville, Ok................always glad to have another Okie in the forums. Especially one with lots of peach iris for possible future trades.

Pictured seapower

Welcome enidcandles, you have come to the right place to ask questions! Alot of knowledge here for sure.

I prefer to cut my foliage about 5-6" long but a little shorter does not kill the plant, just sets it back sometimes in colder weather.

I never store iris to hold over for spring planting as that is what you receive usually at the mart stores (ie Kmart, Walmart), If I receive really late for this zone which is zone 7 I pot them up and place out in the potted area which I have mulched with sawdust. Same with receiving orders very early such as from overseas as they ship in Feb Mar and April.

For a couple of weeks if needed you can store in paper bags but sometimes that will get infested with aphrids if it does just rinse off with water 90% and bleach 10% and let dry and plant.

If I were in your zone, I would pot them up.

Welcome again and ask away we will always be happy to answer and help you in any way we can

D

Well, I think I am getting the hang of things here. My first project is to make a special little plot for iris to be traded next year. I have tons of the peach and some of them are huge!! I thought I was going to have to let some go to waste. Now they get a special home.
I can't wait to take pictures so we can do some trading.
My neighbor gave these to one of the previous home owners and she has a bunch more that are now in the shade. They don't bloom anymore and she told me I was welcome to them. Had it not rained last night, I would be over there with my shovel right now. They are different colors and now I cannot wait to get my hands on them.

So, let me make sure I have this straight.
Leave the green part 5 to 6" long.
Plant them in a nice sunny spot with some bone meal
And talk to them every day so they grow up stong and beautiful for trading with my friends.

Now, for a temporary bed, with full intent of letting them bloom for trading, how far apart will I need to plant them? This will be my "nursery plot" for a lack of better term. Someone suggested not keeping the smaller ones but I think I will if I am keeping them to trade at a later date. Just don't want to crowd the babies.
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I really want to get this right so I can join in the fun of trading with you guys!!

When things settle down a bit I will take pics of what I have saved. I think you might be a bit surprised at what I am calling small. Sounds like from what I understand they are pretty big - even the little ones.

Rolling out the Welcome Mat for you Enid! I must agree, stick around with this group and you'll go far with your irises. We do have the greatest bunch of Iris people around. When I say around I really mean around. Just look at all the different states that are represented on this gardening site. Just think, we all have one thing in common. Everyone of us love irises and have the Iris Bug. You need to be warned once you've been bitten there is no cure. Just ask any one here.LOL We always have room for just one more somewhere even if it means giving one of our least favorites away to make room for the new plant. Then alot of times we're just like you , we can't stand to toss even one plant so we just make another flowerbed, plant around another tree, fence line, or so forth. I'm always saying ahhh, wouldn't some irises look great over there, and over there, and over there too. That's what happens when you live in the country and have plenty of land to play with. The only problem with all of that is you end up having to deal with so many companion plants for the irises. (Weeds)LOL

Happy Gardening, and welcome to our humble home/forum, Marian

Enid ,I."And talk to them every day so they grow up stong and beautiful for trading with my friends" LOL!!!

I am first in line. I love the color peach.

When you can finally post a photo, someone will probably be able to ID it for you. Best photos are taken either when it is shady or on an overcast day. The color is more saturated, rather than bleached from the sun. With a digial camera in hand, I often wait until the sun is way west. In my zone, that is around 7 to 8pm. Digital cameras can pick up light where there seems not to be enough. I also take photos early in the morning before sun hits the irises. I also use a tripod and take photos from different angles. I would go broke buying film if it wasn't for digital cameras.

If any of you guys are feeling brave, and like the unknown, I would be happy to share some of this years "crop". All I know for sure is they are peach in color and they are an old variety. My neighbor moved into her house in 1968. She planted the original iris in the 70's. I have a few spoken for but there are oodles and gobs so like I said, if you feel brave, I am willing to share.
Lori

Welcome to another fellow Okie!

Amen to blomma on picture taking, since I am librarian/historian for our club, I do lots of pics.

I only have one rebloomer trying to burst open now, color is showing. Last year it bloomed in the middle of December. Been having rain so will see today how it is doing and take pics.

In addition to the ones I have planted in yard and raised boxes, I have about 300 in pots. I just have not had time to get them in the ground. But not all go in my yard. Have been working in son's yard, and my daughter-in-law's favorites are pinks and peaches.

enidcandles: I am feeling brave or stupid, but would love some.

thanks for offering
rose

love some...

do you have a photo of your peach puppies in bloom?

If so, I have my sister's irises available for trade, and she has a scrunch of sky blue ones and has lost all her peach ones. we could easily trade some of your excess for some of our excess. she's picky though, and would want to see a photo of yours since you don't know the name of it.

here's a photo of hers. (they are growing at my house)

do you know how to put a photo on here? you click the browse button just below where you type in a response. that should take you to your computer, where you can look around for your photo. (it has to be a digital photo to upload it) double click your photo and it should load on here - it takes a while even on my fast computer, but it should work.

here's a photo of her irises. think I'll put on a close up of a first day bloom.

and I had to retype that response above and forgot to retype "WELCOME!!!"

I've purchased from both Schreiners and Snowpeak and can highly recommend both. I'm a member of the American Iris Society, too, and there's a great website,
www.irises.org
where you can find all sorts of information on iris culture, iris varieties, and more great iris sellers! by the by, irisloverdee is also a master iris judge!

My sister's irises were all named varieties purchased from Cooleys in the early 90's. she's lost the name tags.

Also, I'd put your irises somewheres for now out in your garden. what I've done when I'm out of room, I'll buy the cheapest bagged topsoil I can find - last time I did this, it was $1.25 a bag at the home depo. I'll pour that out on the bare ground in a 8" tall row, which I then flatten slightly by passing a shovel head over the top of the soil (makes about a 8" wide row). I'll heel the irises in nose to heel (we tend to refer to tall bearded irises as "feet") and cover their roots. I'll pour the soil out on a bare spot I have near our driveway. Then put a soaker hose on them and give them a good soaking every day for at least two weeks. then only if they look dry for another two weeks.

irises have lived happily - and bloomed - there for me until the following spring, and once they stayed a whole year. think I got around 10-15 irises planted per bag this way. total cost to save about 100 irises from dying was about $10 and it took about 2 hours to plant that many this way. when they get transplanted, I just shoveled up the topsoil and added it to the new iris bed. I tried doing this one time on top of plastic, and I ended up with a whole bunch of slugs and had some irises die of rot, so now I just pour it out on the bare ground. it's really hard ground, too. you could do the same thing with any available dirt. I did it once in truckload of pure compost - they bloomed great, but the feet got smaller.

I wish I had a pic of these in bloom. Would sure make my life easier right now. I don't though so all I can tell you is they are peach LOL. Helpful huh?? I am not going anywhere. For those who would like to trade some of these next year, I will take pics in bloom so you know what you are getting. The ones that don't get given away soon will go in the ground. My sister just infomed me she has iris at her house. These would also be an older variety - whites, yellows, purples. I am on my way outside to prepare a nursery area. I live on an acre and have done no landscaping thus far so have gobs of room. That should make some of you old timers a little jealous. I have virgin ground. Seriously, over 3/4 of my lawn is full sun and bare to the bone.

oh now you've gone and done it. land envy - I'm totally green! and totally out of space of my own! LOL