Looking for reblooming iris

Could anyone recommend a good internet vendor for reblooming iris?

Winterberry Iris Gardens in VA has quite a few rebloomers & tells which zone where it is successful for each plant. They have a web site for intorductions and a 5$ paper catalog for study. Odering season is finished now, but you might look at the site & put you name in for next years catalog.

North Haven Gardens in Dallas recently had a sale of re-bloomers. I'd grown irises for years but was unaware that there was such a thing as a re-bloomer. I don't know if they still have any in stock or if they ship, but they could prob. point you in the right direction. They are good, local, knowledgeable, mostly organic folks. You can go to www.nhg.com or, even better, if you do Facebook, you can go to their page (North Haven Gardens) and ask questions. Depending on the time of day, you'll usually get a quick answer to your question. So . . . ask them about the re-bloomers.

Schreiner Iris is where I buy all my iris from. They are also hybridizers and the largest in the country. I usually buy when they have their sale starting in July. But, you can surf their website in the winter. They sell rebloomers.

http://www.schreinersgardens.com/

One fact most gardeners don't realize is that those marked as rebloomers won't rebloom in the colder climate. There is no guarantee that they will. I have quite a few and they don't rebloom in my climate. Also, they require more care and feeding in order to set additional buds that will bloom again. I never buy irises with the ideas of reblooming. I can't remember the recommended zones where they will rebloom.

The last I knew, Sutton's Garden is moving to Idaho. they want to work cold climate rebloomers. It will be a few years, but if they have success it will be a new source for northern gardens.

irisMA,
I wonder how reblooomers that rebloom in colder climates are produced. I have notied that some irises are not even hardy in the North. Some I have tried twice to grow. They fade away by the 2nd season. BROWN LASSO, and ISN'T THIS SOMETHING comes to mind, though not rebloomers.

I hope Suttons find out. Chuck chapman works on getting cold hardy TBs. Your will probably be so because of where you live.

Doesn't it have to do with genetics as far as hardiness, rather than where the hybridization takes place in climate?

What would make sense to me if I was breeding for a hardy iris that would rebloom would be to cross two irises that have proven hardy, and one of them, or even both, would have the rebloomer genes.

"Hardiness" isn't as big a factor here, as it is for you, Blomma, but ,so far I haven't run across any bearded that I felt couldn't take my zone 5a temps. I did plant some known "tender' ones this year, so, we'll see what the future holds ! As far as the Re's go, check out the reblooming Irs Soc. website, as well as the Winterberry site( if you have not already done so) as they both contain lots of info on how, why' and when ,irises rebloom. Winter temps are one factor, as well as the number of "frost free" days, and the amount of daylight(day-length) is what drives some. So, IMHO, plant whatever you like the looks of, whether it's a "proven" zone 4 rebloomer, or not, some will really surprise you! For me, this year has been the best year for rebloom that I've ever had, even Vanity( just planted this year) has tried to throw up a stalk, so you never know! Extra care , "micro-climates" in your garden, etc. all enter into how well/ often some cultivars will rebloom, but it sure is fun to try !...Arlyn

The only one who rebloomed for me was Autumn Jester a standard dwarf Originator: Chuck Chapman. Course it only lived here for two years then croaked. Typical of the bearded up here. I have three now that seem hardier. Fireplace Embers is one and I bought two others this summer that show promise. Won't know til spring. Just having them bloom once is a victory for me. I also have about 8 posts with dwarf to tall dormant in the garage. I am hoping to get them through the winter. Call me desperate but even if I have to have them in pots I WILL have bearded iris. I did have one bloom this fall. Brought it inside in its pot and it had two blooms in the dining room. I was thrilled. But not a RE bloomer, as it was its first blooms, just very late.