Dutch iris regrowing............

My Tiger's Eye dutch iris are sending up new shoots. Is this normal? Will they survive frost? If frost kills them back down, will they regrow next Spring, and flower for me?
Odd weather has caused some odd things to happen in the garden.................
Forsythia is blooming..........
Several Lilac blossoms have opened........
And now the dutch iris is sprouting......................

Although I've never grown Dutch iris, it is my understanding that they typically send up foliage in the fall and bloom in the spring.

Laurie

Oh good.....(feel stupid) I planted these last fall as just tubers, and they leafed out and bloomed in Spring.
I'll relax now and enjoy them. Thanks Laurie :-)

My dutch iris have about 10 inch shoots on them right now, Marc. Did so last year as well and bloomed beautifully in the spring.

I'm pleased to have found this, Rikerbear - mine are coming up too. It's my first year so I have NO idea what's normal. I planted them in early October - maybe it was too early, but if they were left in the ground from last year it would have been the same, I would think.
Natasha

Yes Riker, it is normal. Mine are coming up and did so last year same time, but they didn't bloom then until the correct time in April. Picture was taken today.

Thanks Steve. So hgow's FT Worth? I haven't been back there since graduating high school (Eastern Hills)

Marc

Boy am I glad I found this. I was worried. I planted some bulbs the first of October and when I looked at them today they were about 10 inches tall. I thought sure that the warm fall was going to mess them up. My hyacint bulbs are up too. Anyone know anything about them?

MsMaati,

Regular hyacinths or grape hyacinths? It is normal for grape hyacinths (muscari) to send up leaves in fall. NOT normal for hyacinthus to do the same. They should not send up leaves until spring.

The picture is Muscari, Grape Hyacinth. Its quite normal for them to come up now, mine are up too and the rabbits are eating them!!
. Hyacinths proper have much larger thicker strap like leavesleaves and, unless grown indoors ,are unlikely to appear until after Christmas.

Howdy Riker. Hopefully starting to get cold here. I have been in TX 5 years, since moving here from Illinois.

I'm ready for the cold to come too....just not the cold rain. In hate that.

ooops Okus I did not look at the picture :-)

Like these! Last spring

I bet those smelled as good as they look Steve

Mmmmmmm.....hyacinths. I just wished they lasted a bit longer....such a brief show!

Yes, and then you have to find something to hide the dying foliage for the next two or three months!!

Daylilies, daisies and some roses! Don't make fun of my crooked tree!!! It was like that when I moved here.....Kansas prairie winds and all you know.

Very nice :-) Me like hyacinths !

I just bought 21 more hyacinth....that brings me to at least 100 now in the front. They are by far my favorite Spring bloomers. I always force a few for enjoyment indoors during winter too....need to get those in the fridge..............

I like hyacinths and lilies! Lilies bloom a lot longer, though :-) My front yard 2-29-04

Lovely Steve.....I can smell the sweet scent from here :-)

3-7-04

OK one more 3-4-04
Thanks Riker...let's see some of yours!!!!

I don't mean to perpetuate a discussion of a non-iris nature but.........

Do you guys find your hyacinths are short lived? I've heard it said they really only last a few years at best and blooms decline dramatically after the first year. Maybe that's something the mail order places dreamt up to get us to buy more each year. I've had mine there for 3 years and didn't really notice a decline. I did add some yellows this year (City of Haarlam) but haven't noticed fewer blooms on the Sky Jacket or Queen of the Pinks.

HMMM Good question, Brenda.

Most of the experts say yes, they decline each year. The original hyacinth is native to Turkey and the northern Middle East, and if you've ever seen pictures of them, they're spindly things with just a few florets on them. The Dutch ones we grow have been made big and fluffy by centuries of breeding. I have read that over time, they migrate closer to their original "roots". The yellow ones in the above pic are in their 2nd year in the ground, as are some of the blue ones, and some of them have a few fewer florets, but some were as big as the first year. Virtually all of mine returned second year, and many had fewer florets, but I let them go to seed the first year and didn't deadhead them. After all of these bloomed this year I made a concerted effort to deadhead them, to see what kind of effect it will have on next year's blooms. I have read that Dutch breeders/growers do this to ensure that the flowers do not go to seed to ensure a strong healthy bulb for the following year. I'll let you know what happens this coming spring! If yours are not declining, you're obviously doing something right. I read on White Flower Farm's website that they decline in the second year, and then they come back up to top form. They're pretty reputable, so even the "experts" don't agree. I guess we'll have to test this theory for ourselves.

I grew Hyacinths for years in the UK, and yes they do change slowly over time, the florettes are not as closely packed on the stalk as when they start. They don't go back to the wild format though and they still smell as heavenly, plus the bulbs divide so you actually have more flowers than before. This applies equally to those prepared for indoor forcing and planted out sfter flowering and those planted directly outside. I always dotted mine about singly when planting and after 12 years had some beautiful clumps.The only problem is slugs and mice love to eat the bulbs so sometimes they appear to disappear.

Okus,

They could be disappearing because hyacinths are very moisture sensitive and can rot easily, especially during their dormant period. Hyacinth bulbs are usually avoided by animals, so I am surprised that mice would eat them.

Well I'm blaming mice having found them half chewed with teethmarks, but it could be something else, and have seen slugs in the bulbs when I've dug them up by mistake from time to time. I'm not sure you call them slugs here? They look like a snail with no shell and are slimey, come in all sorts of sizes and are black, grey or white.

Yes, they are slugs here too

Interesting......last fall when I put in the Sky Jacket the next day my neighbor hollered at me from across the street saying she caught a squirrel rutting around in my bed that I had been planting in the previous day (my hyacinth bed). She said I might want to take a look. I did and sure enough I had a bulb completely missing and a nicely dug hole in it's place. I think the squirrels like them.....at least my neighbor's squirrels do.....I always tell her to keep her squirrels in her own yard. lol.

Well you learn something new every day. My mom has trouble with squirrels digging up bulbs at her house in Illinois, but it is usually tulips.

They get my tulips too! *sigh* Daffs and alliums are safe though.

I think they have an order of preference! LOL The mice, or whatever, liked the crocus corms best, then the tulips, then daffs, but if all else failed the hyacinths would do! It could have been grey squirrels rather than mice, we had several regulars in the yard. I hadn't thought of them till now.

Sorry Steve I hadn't seen you post requesting some of my pic till just now......I'll look and see if I have any hyacinth pix from this past Spring saved.
Here is a pic of the iris that have sprouted....which is what started this thread. :-)
Eye of the Tiger dutch iris: (not my pic....this is the one for the catalog)

Hi Riker, My Dutch Irises have put in an appearance now too. They should be fine if they don't get too advanced too early.

Thanks Okus.....I've stopped worrying about them, as it seems this is normal behavior for dutch iris.
Certainly gonna mulch them good though. :-)

I wondered if anyone has any signs of flower stalks or buds or even flowers on their dutch irises. After sprouting in November some of mine have leaves about 4 foot long now, lying down all tangled over the beds - are they still "normal"?
Natasha

My dutch iris leaves have been up forever with no signs of flowering.
My hyacinth bulbs have been in the ground for 5 years and are puney little things but still smell heavenly.My genius squirrels (they are smarter than I am) have eaten some of the hyacinths and relocated some others.They are popping up in places I know I didn't plant them.I think they got tied of crocus this year because many are blooming.They also don't like the species tulips and are not too enthusiastic about the grape hyacinth.Because I plant them such a varied diet they can pick and choose.Did I mention all the acorns?Live oak trees give a constant supply of leaves and acorns from the fall are all over the place as well as oak seedlings.