Dutch Iris Again

Last year I had some threads on Dutch Iris as I had never seen them before that. I had hoped to get some planted last fall but I never did get to it. But I did get afew bulbs very late last spring that nothing much come of as I planted too late due to shipping delays of over a month before they got here.

Anyway surprise of surprises, I see some of those Dutch Iris coming up this spring!!!! Now I want to get more and see if I can get some blooms this year.

I just ordered 100 of the mix and 40 of the TIGERS EYE color from Bulbs Direct. This was were people recommended I buy from last spring after I had already ordered from Brecks. I will never order ANYTHING from Brecks again as it took them over a month to ship. And I was late ordering already. I am much earlier this year and this place ships the Dutch Iris all spring.

rita, I'm going to get ya mad.

I've had some someone gave me in a pot. I dumped the pot out on the ground not realizing there was anything in the pot worth keeping, thinking what was in it was dead. And I walked away in a hurry - I needed just the pot for something, quick!

LOL - they are there, right THERE, blooming this spring! So much for pampering the bulb irises! and they were in about 1/2 shade.

having said that, I was told they were dutch irises. I think they were recticulatas.

I thought Dutch iris were spring bloomers. Planted in late summer/early fall in order to begin growth before freezing weather, much like regular irises. I planted some last fall and they sprouted before winter then froze. They appear to have survived but I won't know for sure until they begin growing again.

From what I have heard the dutch iris are not likely to grow on top of the ground. Course I could be wrong. But these things are winter sensative.

I never did get a chance to get any recticulatas either but they are on my list to get. Hopefully this fall :-))

Yes, they are spring blomers and best planted in the fall. Still they are not winter hardy in the colder zones so I have read that some have planted in the spring.

This fall I intend to plant a bunch more of them so we will see what happens.

Basic internet info gives hardy zones 5 to 9. Plant 3 to 4 inches deep, well drained, 4 to 6 hours direct sun. Years ago, I planted some then brushed roundup on them because I thought they were what we call wild onions. Never saw any blooming. This year I planted about 100.

I've bought them chilled and planted them in the spring, too, with good results. They do not come back for me here, after being planted in the fall, and I'm z6.

I know I asked alot about them on the forum here last year. Apparently people from the northern parts of the country had mixed results with them. I really never thought those ones I planted last year would come up again this year. And I think that I didn't even plant them seep enough. I think all those bulbs from those dutch places are pre- chilled. I mean how else would they store them? I think if I get the bulbs early enought and plant them this spring, I can get flowers.

I just think they are the most beautiful things!

All the bulbs are chilled to a certain extent. They are harvested in the Netherlands and then shipped to the big wholesalers like Ednie, who reship. Until they reship Ednie stores them in cold storage, but it might not be for long. And they need a certain length of chilling to bloom. That's why some will say pre chilled, they have been specifically chilled for the period necessary.

Please show pics of the Dutch iris when they bloom.

Have you considered spuria irises, they look a lot like the Dutch ones.

I bought one spuria from Dee last year. Haven't seen it coming up yet this year. I did absolutly love the looks of the pictures I have seen of the spuria.

Group planted in max sun. About 6 to 8 inches tall. Some planted in a more shaded spot are not as developed.

Oldgardenrose- Thiis is very good, especially as you are in a zone 5 and not everyone from that cold a zone has success with them. I really want to add this spring to get some color but plan to order them heavily in the fall for more planting.

These were the cheap kind bought at Lowe's with 50 mixed colors for under $10 so I did not expect all to bloom. You get a lot of junk with the bargain bags. The ones which do bloom and survive the summer can be expected to continue blooming for years.

We had night time temps down to just below 0 with about a month and a half of under 20 degree nights. This has been the coldest late winter we have had for quite awhile.

I bought afew already for fall from Brent and Beckies Bulbs. I intend to get more from other sources before fall planting time.

now see, I was told we don't get enough cold for them here in zone 7 to bloom well. then someone recently told me that, ok, we did. I'm going to try them, but these do appear to be recticulata and not dutch iris.

This is the pkg from Lowe's. Dutch iris was listed on the back.

Actual bulbs. These were planted the second week of October. We are just recovering from a very cold February/early March and SPRING IS HERE!!!!!. They are just beginning to put up new growth from having the tops frozen.

The bulbs actually look very much like onion sets to me. And I think they would thrive in a zone 7. They are really cheap, even on line. Why not get some this fall and try them out?

Hurray, my order of Dutch Iris shipped out on Friday so I should have them in afew days. Hurray, hurray!!!!

Would not be able to plant anything here now. We are in steady rain!!!!!!!!!!!

It rained hard here all last night too and still raining today. But it will clear up in afew days. Besides, I don't have them yet.

We had 1 1/2" rain last night about suppose to receive the same amount today...

D

The coasts must be getting together. News says this is the wettest March ever recorded in the area. Certainly feels like it & while a marsh is nearby, we aren't along a flooding river. More rain tomorrow, changing to light showers on Wed. Lucy

We are to have rain thru April 11th they say and so far they have been about 90% correct this year.

D

Ugh! I want to get some weeding done before the eye op. I forget how long it is before you can bend over. The end of the week is supposed to be good weather, but on Sat have to help with church flowers. that is tiring, so don't think much will be done on Sat by either of us.

bonjon, if those are the irises that you got from me last year, then they are reticulatas. Although they bloom short and the leaves are short, the leaves get much taller after the bloom fades. I suppose that you could mistake them for dutch irises at that point.
As for growing them here, I've had them return since early in my gardening days at this house with no care whatsoever. They do get a big load of natural leaf mulch over the fall and winter...which I need to remove asap...Thank goodness for Spring Break finally, lol!
Oh, and Dee...I said that I wanted to try spurias this year without remembering that I have a chocolate spuria that I got from buggy several years ago. It's up and has spread. Ignorance must be bliss in this instance;))

The dutch iris bulbs just arrived in the mail. I am in the middle of transplanting three clumps of daylilies but after I finish that, next on the list is too plant those Dutch Iris.

We are not planting, weeding the iris beds. this was my first good day of weeding. I had hope to do more before tues, but not going to happen. Have to help with church flowers tomorrow--so there goes the morning.

Well, they are all planted. I will go out now and water them well so that they can start growing.

When I was planting I dug up some from last year and I noticed the bullblets were very, very small. But many were split to make two. Of course, I replanted. At any rate those were very few from last year. They were planted so late, end of May. So nothing really came of them.

tggfish - then it probably was from you! the labels all faded - I got sick again after the RU where we traded and they just sat in that pot right where I had left them under a tree. I probably came by after the foliage had died back and thought "it's dead, whatever it was" and upended the dirt right there and walked away. Ah me - you've seen my "sacrificial line" of pots, right? Well, it's gotten bigger. But then again so has my mountain of potted irises.

But you need to come see the gardens soon! The front slope is in great shape and everything is properly labeled. Am processing the back now - have a deadline two weeks from yesterday to get them ready to show. But the little irises are already blooming.

Bonnie, just tell me when, lol! Weekends are best for me...but school will be out before we know it...Yay!!

hey girl, the SDBs are mostly done, but the IBs are putting on a show, and the first TB, Autumn Bugler, opened yesterday. If you want to see the IBs, you might drive by this weekend. If we aren't in the yard, I've gone for a load of mulch over off New Hope Road. Just make yourself at home until I get back.

finished the fourth bed today. in 2007, I put a tiny thin stick in the ground, labeled lilac, from a close out sale at Walmart. Had to put it somewhere. Went to weed under the New Dawn climbing rose, and that darn thing had grown up to about six feet and the rose had doubled another 4 feet back down to the ground. I'd thought it was a volunteer tree and went to cut it only to find a tag still on it. Had to cut half the lower rose, and move a roof iris and a japanese iris, to get it out of there. The irises are now too thirsty to bloom well, so I've got to get water on them. My neighbors will howl.

DI update.

Wow, I was just going to ask if anyone had a picture of the leaves on the Dutch Iris as I can't tell if I am having wild onions or Dutch iris. As I have those darn wild onions everywhere it is too confusing.

In these parts, the flat farm fields are green with wild onions or wild garlic, whichever one you want to call it. The onion leaves are round and hollow where the Dutch iris leaves are more flat. Mine are still scrawny but I assume they will grow with time.

First Dutch iris of the season. More almost ready to open.