Reblooming Irises and Reliability

I was looking at the Schreiner iris catalogue and they state whether the reblooming irises have been reliable rebloomers for them in Oregon. How well can I rely on that for where I live? I only have room for one or two new irises this year so I have to be very judicious in what I pick and it turns out that what they consider less reliable are the ones that I like better than the ones that they consider more reliable.

As a reference that might help someone, rebloomers I have are:
Victoria Falls - ultra super reliable
Champagne Elegance - It's a rebloomer!? Could have fooled me.
Star Sailor - Don't know if it is meant to be a rebloomer, but it rebloomed once.

i had one bought at wal marts 2 yrs ago it never came up even not even a bloom nothing..but i have one it did not rebloom only once.. so????

Kelli, one way is to look at Sutton's rebloom chart. It tells the zone of rebloom and the reliability for each cultivar. And not just ones that they sell.
http://www.suttoniris.com/html/rebloom.htm

Cantina is reblooming for me now. Harvest of Memories never stops, Lenora Perle blooms all fall. Immortality and sugar blues perform very well. I've not had good luck with Bride's Halo but Beverley Sills actually does bloom here with regularity - it seems to be the opposite in the colder regions.
Another thing that you might want to look at is Napa's Country Iris.
http://www.napairis.com/
They carry a lot of rebloomers and my guess is that their growing conditions are a little closer to yours.
Sutton's is in Porterville,CA and that may help. Many Easterners have problems with their iris not reblooming (but then SDB don't grow very well here) but I think it's like daylilies. If you buy cultivars bred in Florida you have a better chance of a good match.

Superstition's, or Keith Keppel's rebloomers might be a better match too.

One more thing is never be afraid to ask a vendor. At Mid-America I've been able to tell them what I would like and they always make great suggestions. Iris growers are very friendly folks. And I've had great luck asking at Snow Peak. Well, I have had really good luck everywhere. Better to wait until after September when the iris have been dug and planted though. They're running as hard as they can right now.

You might also want to go to Margiempv's list of Iris cultivars and see what might rebloom or send her a dmail. She's not around much but she might check in. She lives in Arizona.

Hope that this helps.

Dorothie

Champagne Elegance has rebloomed for me.

I think Autumn Tryst reblooms over a wide area of the US.

Neil

I would suggest Bethany Claire. It has been a great rebloomer for me in zone8. I had a BC bloom in April, May, June and it has just bloomed again this month. Just gorgeous. One of my favorites.

I would also suggest Anxious. It is a pale lavendar with honey hafts. It was blooming in the following months this year: Feb, Mar, May, June, July and I think I saw more buds on it tonight.

Thanks for all the links, names, information! This has been a real eye opener for me and I appreciate all the posts.

Thanks for all of the information, especially the table of rebloomers. I got a gift certificate from Schreiner's, so that's where I will buy from this year. (I don't necessarily have to buy a rebloomer, of course, and I might buy a Louisiana iris for the pond.) Anyone have experience with "Pagan Dance"? That's the rebloomer I'm leaning toward right now.

Doss writes, "Harvest of Memories never stops." That is intriguing to me. Think it would still do that here in the blast furnace?

I grew 'Pagan Dance' for three years. Although it's a lovely iris, it never re-bloomed for me. It also never got very tall. It may do better for you since you are in a warmer zone.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/17591/

Pagan Dance didn't rebloom for me either and Kelli and I aren't that far apart. Sent it to someone else this year.

I got the rebloomer collection from Suttons last fall for the colder part of the country. Some of them have already started reblooming here. Pink Attraction rebloomed in the first of July and is sending up another bloom stalk now. Duke of Earl just finished and is sending up another stalk. Anxious rebloomed in July. Dashing is sending up a bloom stalk. I was surprised to get this much since I figured they'd have to take a year or so to acclimate. I got 18 varieties and all but two or three bloomed their first spring. I think eventually some of the varieties will bloom off and on all summer.

O.K. No "Pagan Dance". Back to the old drawing board. Has anyone had experience with

Best Bet
Elainealope
Violet Turner
Mariposa Autumn or
Mariposa Skies

How much fun to have the iris bloom right away. Sweet!

Rebloom is set before you get the rhizomes - so new reblooming cultivars from Sutton's will bloom in the fall - Some, but not all that do that will continue to rebloom. It's a very constant question from folks in the cooler regions regarding Sutton rebloomers. I hope that you have good luck. You never know.

Kelli shouldn't have a problem though with Sutton cultivars.

"Cantina is below" - it's darker than this but the sheen is the same. It's a really lovely rebloomer.

I've had 'Best Bet' before. It never re-bloomed for me. However, I know that it has re-bloomed for others in my zone. I haven't ever been able to really count on something re-blooming on a regular basis, except for a yellow iris called 'Summer Olympics'. The name really fits the iris because it blooms for me all summer long. It's not the most exciting flower, but it's nice to have in my garden because I'm happy to see any iris blooming after the main bloom is long gone!

Most reported re-bloomers do so in some years and not in others. There are very few that re-bloom every year without fail.

To tell you the truth, I wouldn't worry too much about not getting at least SOME re-bloom in your zone. You Californians are lucky that way! I agree with doss, you would probably do well with choosing re-blooming iris that Sutton's recommends, since your zone is similar to theirs.

Here's a link to their website.

http://www.suttoniris.com/

You may have to contact them regarding recommendations for rebloomers. I know they have the information in their catalog, but I don't think it's on their website.

I should probably add that how you "pamper" your re-blooming irises will have a direct effect on how they do for you. You'll have your best chance of re-bloom if you give them a low-nitrogen fertilizer directly after the first bloom in Spring. Also, if your summers are hot and dry, giving them extra waterings~say every two weeks~will also help them do their best. Be careful not to over-water them, though, and never water them in the heat of the day!

My summers are hot (90F+ July through September) and very dry (absolutely no rain), so I water once a week usually. I rarely ever feed the irises at all, so I'll have to keep in mind the low-N fertilizer after first bloom.

FF: would you please remind us, after spring bloom, about the fertilizer and water once again. There are so many tips I'm afraid I'll forget.

And as for you, doss - I thought we were friends. Now you post a photo like that and I know I have to buy it and when you buy one you buy many more. Yikes. I hope the dog won't mind not having a dog pen because I really need the space.

Lucky for you pirl that Cantina isn't expensive. Maybe you can make it with the same order as "impressionist". Of course if you do that then you have to buy $80.00 so that you only have to pay $40.00 and then everything after that is half price............The photo really does make it brighter - but it's fabulous all the same. Couldn't resist sending you Schreiner's description of Cantina - I don't know who sits around writing these things.
"A delectable blue wash at the centers of the falls lends a mellifluous bitone effect to these large reddish violet flowers. The unusual color pattern. Heavy ruffling accentuates the distinctive coloring of the falls. Cantina is a dependable August rebloomer for us in Oregon"

I'm so good at spending other people's money. Not that I don't spend plenty of my own mind you.

Is it too late to order? Maybe if I mention your name, Dorothie? :-))

I have ordered a few rebloomers from the club's iris bed. I hope they will bloom for me next year.

I hope so too bluegrass. It will be fun to find out anyway. As to Schreiner's - I didn't not. As far as I can tell, Schreiner's is open. Hurry though - it gets cold at your house.

In case anyone is wondering, I decided to got with Best Bet. I like it enough that even if it doesn't rebloom, it will be acceptable.

Kelli, Just wanted to mention that Matrix is a fabulous rebloomer too. Much more lovely than immortality, it has a huge flower. It's not expensive. Immortality will sometimes bloom three times and Matrix only spring and fall, but if you like a pearl color, it's really lovely. Clear Stream is another that not many people think of. It's an oldy too and sometimes hard to come by. It will rebloom after it's spring bloom and it's got five buds on it now. The photo is Clear Stream.