Will Bearded Border Iris and Reblooming Iris grow in NE Fla?

Hi, all.

I just got another glossy brochure from a catalog company offering (from what I can tell by comparing varietal names in the DG Plant Files) Tall Bearded Border Iris (for example: "Rose Caprice," "Sultan's Palace," "Night Owl") and reblooming iris at a special price. Even though the DG Plant File pages show these irises can grow in my climate (borderline Zone 8b/9a Jacksonville, Florida, hot, humid summers with occasional freezes in winter), I don't recall ever seeing these irises in any local gardens.

Can anyone weigh in, especially other NE Fla gardeners, on whether these irises will grow here? I would like to try the irises, but I hate to order them if they won't do well (even with the "no questions asked" guarantee for refund or replacement from the catalog company).

Thanks, Jeremy

There is one man who used to post to another iris list I read who grows a few reblooming TBs in pots in northern FL. I *think* the reason he grows them in pots is so that he can bring them into his garage to protect them from excessive rainfall when the need arises. High heat and humidity can cause rot in bearded irises, which is probably why you don't see folks growing them in your area. Many of the rebloomers are such vigorous growers that they can successfully outgrow rot infections, should they become infected.

If you are considering trying bearded irises in your area, I highly recommend waiting until the end of July and hitting the end-of-season sales at the commercial iris growers rather than buying from a general nursery catalog. The general catalogs are most likely plant brokers rather than growers, so the irises you receive from them won't be freshly dug as they would be from iris growers. Since you're not dealing with an ideal bearded iris climate, you'd be wise to start off with the freshest, healthiest irises you can buy for your experiment.

Laurie