Hi, I am new to Irises, just bought my first one last spring and then 7 more last fall. Hemstitched decided to bloom in late January but we actually had a little frost so I think the buds may have been slightly damaged. Here is the second bloom that opened. I went out yesterday to cut off the flower stalk and discovered a new bud emerging. Meanwhile, my October Sky has 4 buds so hopefully I will get more flowers soon. Here in zone 9b in Central California, I have seen several already well established Iris beds in full bloom.
