2006 NEWBIE IRIS Giveaway !

Mine too. And the colors are glorious! There will be a "Wanda" iris bed in Ohio. Thanks so very much.
Kay

Plant you iris NOW. I like mine well rooted before the cold of winter tries to heave them from the ground. The green they grow this fall will store the energy for the spring blooms.
I like to plant my iris as "clumps". They fill in faster and give me a good splash of color.

Pick a nice, sunny spot that drains well. Since I plant my bearded iris in mixed beds, I put them on a 4-5 inch raised mound of dirt. This allows them to stay high and dry while I can still mulch the rest of the beds. Cover the roots, but leave the crest of the rhizome exposed to the air. Water them just once to settle the dirt around the roots. let nature take it's course. Over-watering can rot your iris before they even get a chance.

The Dwarf (SDB)& Intermediate (IB) iris can make do with a partly shady area. Many of mine are planted under decidous trees.

Most of your iris roots should bloom next spring if they get rooted properly this fall.

I will be on vacation for a week .Talk to you all later---

Have fun.
I hope you got my postage. I sent cash.....

Wanda- received your package yesterday. I was so pleased with the great plants and beautiful cards. Letter to you in the mail tomorrow. Thanks again for the iris. Marge

All of your postage reimbursements are reaching me so far--just on overload. I have to finish here at work, pack a bag, mow the lawn & other things before I can take off for a trip to the national Trapshoots tommorrow.

Have a great time!
-T

Wanda - I received my plants yesterday! The note cards are beautiful! Thank you so much, you are a very generous lady, I hope to be able to reciprocate some day!

I mailed you check for postage today.

audrey

Well, I know what I'm going to be doing this weekend. ;-)

Wanda,
I may not qualify - my trial period was Dec. & Jan. My yearly membership started in Feb. If this lets me in, I would really appreciate receiving a few. The ones that I already have are
purple, yellow and bluish lavender. I have some others that have not bloomed for me yet.
Do I send postage now (if so, how much?) or wait to get the package?
Thanks for being so generous. If I am too late, I understand.

Louise

Wanda,I am a Newbie of just a few months and would absolutely love any selections you would like to send me.! I am not picky so any and all you could send me would be greatly appreciated!The only 2 types I now have are Color Tart and Full Tide so I have room for lots more!Please let me know if you still have any to share?Thanks! Nancy

Wanda-
Just got my iris in the mail yesterday. They arrived in great condition. Can't wait to get them in the ground and growing. Thanks so much for your generosity.

Mel

Oh my, Wanda! You actually sent me Titan's Glory, which was on the Shreiner's order that I had to cancel! I know you did it intentionally - as were the other wonderful ones you sent. Thank you so much! The cards put your generosity over the top.

Thank you so much!

Laura

Hi Wanda, I'm a Newbie since April of this year. I would love to have some of your iris if there are any left. I'm down here in southeast Texas and still have time to plant. I'll D-mail you the address. Let me know about the postage. Thanks.

Hello Wanda,

Please add me to the list of "ravening hordes" if you have leftovers from the newbie mailings...

Thanks for offering to the newbies - your generosity is the hallmark that makes DG the wonderful community it is.

Abundant Blooms,
Swoz

Hello Wanda,

I was new in October of this year and have looked at every single picture of your beautiful gardens and admired longingly. I would be so grateful to receive some Iris if you still have some left. I have stopped trying to keep everything named and find that I admire them more without the names *lol*. I LOVE splashed Iris and grow Batik but have been in search for Baboon Bottom for a long time should you happen to have any of them. I love bi-toned Iris also.....actually, I love all Iris especially blue.

Should you happen to have more to share, I would be honored to have some of your Iris join my little bed :)

Thank you so much for your kind offer Wanda, you are very generous to share.

Kim

Wanda: I see you have more newbies interested. Before you ship any more, check with me................I have been digging and have some to include in the giveaway. Linda

Oh my, I'd love to be included. Newbie as of July 2006 and new to gardening. I have read up on Bearded Irises and know they need good drainage and the top of the rhizone needs to get some sun. No mulch in my zone 8a as well. I promise to take good care of them if there are any left. Thank you Wanda and Linda!

I'll not d-mail until you tell me its a go.

Deborah

I'm a newbie this year. If you have any left I'd love to be included. mahalo, sam

Could someone help me with a simple direction in how to send a picture. I'm very new to computers, but love this site.

oltmanns--just sent you a dmail with instructions to add photos to your postings or dmail.

I was gone on vacation for several days, but I'm back home. I will be digging more iris tommorrow. Texas Lou, cordeledawg& others, just send me a dmail with your name & address. I will send you 4 colors of named Tall Bearded or Intermediate iris All I ask is that you re-imburse me the postage that your box costs after it arrives.

Thank you all for being so prompt in sending me postage costs. At $4.80 to $6.75 a box, this can get expensive FAST. I haven't counted, but I suspect I am past 50 boxes at this point. I do keep track of who remembers to send the postage costs.

Ghia Girl--you are too much! Thank you for the extra goodie. It wasn't neccessary, but I have a great place for it. :)

Do you have any left? My daughter is becoming quite a gardener and iris are her favorites. Also, how do you recommend ridding your irises of borers?

Thanks also for your explanations and instructions you post to help us newbies plant and care properly for irises.I saw your post when I came to this forum for some questions about planting an iris that i just received. If there are still any left I would love to participate in your generous offer. I love the structure irises give to the garden. Most of my other plants have small leaves.
I joined DG this spring just in time to attend a Roundup that was being held in my area. Meeting all the wonderful gardeners and sharing in their friendship and knowlege is what makes this site the most wonderful one on the web!!! nancy

Welcome to DG, Nancy.........Betty

I'd love some too Wanda, if there are any left.
I'll D mail you for instructions on where to send the check.

And on behalf of all the DG newbies. Thank you.
Carol
http://www.justfurkids.com/TNmove.html

If you have some more...I am a newbie here this year and would be overjoyed to have some from your lovely collection. I admit I will take anything......and give them a loving home in my garden. Let me know how to send postage money. Thank you so much!!!

Susan

I'm a newbie to Dave's garden and would be thrilled to receive some of your iris.
The pictures from your garden are so beautiful!! If you have any left, please let me
know how to request them. Debbie

Hi Wandasflowers! Yet another newbie who would love some irises for postage. I'm wondering if you have a farm to have so many irises. I have sent a d-mail, thanks for the offer regardless.
Mike B

One does wonder why Wanda is not in the business....

For love of the flower ~ and here's to getting your hands dirty!!! Nothing like it . :-))

woodspirit--I can't just throw extra roots of this quality out to the curb. that would be a sin. I have already given away as many as I can to friends here in town. I could give more, but I don't want my garden opened up to the town at large. too many statues disappear that way.

If I were in the business, all of this would get serious. I would have to dig on a schedule and I think it would take some of the fun out of it.

I've got all of you down--- Need to get outside & DIG!

Wanda: I have some more to throw at you for this.

Linda, Good! getting a back ache digging this afternoon.

Digging some of this tall old beauty: King's Jester

It's Ok, Wanda' I wasn't very serious. But you make us smile and dream.

They're in the ground, in front where they'll get plenty of sun. The soil was still damp from yesterday's rain, so I didn't water them. I mixed in some organic garden soil with my native Colorado clay, but no compost because mine's a compost/manure mix, and some of the sites I read said not to use manure unless it was well aged. I have no idea how old this poop is, so I just left it out.

I buried the rhizomes about a quarter to half inch at most. What color is Conch Shell? I can't find it on the web.

Should I mulch? With what?

Thanks, Wanda, for doing this. You must have a strong back to dig so many irises! Half an hour just about killed me.

Edited to say that I just found out that the Solid Mahagony you sent me is a red iris. I wanted red irises! Thank you!

This message was edited Aug 20, 2006 8:07 PM

Conch Call is white...I got one too, and the Solid Mahagony. Plant files has them all!

Wanda, I shared your gift with a friend (not the Titan's glory-I'm selfish about purple, as my friend is already aware), so your generosity went one step further.

Thank you again!
Laura

Conch Call is a big ruffled Tall bearded that is actually the palest pink with soft coral shoulders and a deeper coral beard. It has 4 1/2 to 5 foot scapes with lots of blooms. No rain or wind managed to knock it over this summer. a real stunner!

DO NOT MULCH TALL BEARDED IRIS--they will rot! I plant them on mounds and mulch around the base of the mounds. Or just keep the mulch away by a couple of inches. bearded iris like to be dry. I use wood chips & grass for mulch in my beds.

I am afraid that I have not scanned in all my spring iris photos--got waylaid by summer trips, Round ups & daylily beds.

Okay, 12 boxes of iris are being mailed out tommorrow. All I ask is that you send the postage so I can keep this thing going without going broke.

Digging more iris this week. Any more Newbies lurking out there?

Art Form needs to be thinned.

Conch CALL! Somehow I got it into my mind that it was Conch *Shell*. Duh! Senior moment there. No wonder I couldn't find it.

I can't wait to have flowers next spring.

This is my first garden, and although it's been hard work and very frustrating sometimes, it's really exciting to watch things grow, to see my zucchinis blossom, to stand in a potato patch with plants up to my thigh, to watch seedlings struggling toward the sky.

After 30 years of apartments, that's worth the price of admission.

Dirt under your fiongernails & toenails? It's not a clean life, but it is fun....

Wanda, I signed on in 2005 but subscribed in 2006 and I'd love to send postage and share in your generosity! You're amazing!
Lynn