I did a bad thing....

Last year I purchased a large number of rhizomes from Schreiners and became ill for about 6 weeks and did not get them planted. My box got set aside and they have been rediscovered. :-(

Is there any hope of salvaging them? I thought I had read somewhere about jumpstarting iris in pots inside and am wondering if this is worth a try. I figure it can't hurt to try at this point. Should they be hydrated first?

Langbr, I was at an Agway in Jan of 2006 in Vermont and there was a bunch of really dried up old iris rhizomes in a basket for free. I took 6 and potted them up inside and 2 made it. Worth a try. I think you will get real advice from someone else on this forum. But because Schreiners are way bigger than the ones I tried to grow, I think they have a chance. Good luck. Patti

By all means pot them up. I mean, what do you have to lose at this point? It wouldn't hurt to soak them first for an hour or two in tepid water with maybe a tiny bit of miracle grow and/or a transplant starter added to it.

Use a quick draining potting medium, water the rhizomes in well when you plant them, but then water sparingly afterwards. It's pretty easy to rot potted irises if you overwater them, so it's best to err on the side of dry.

Good luck!

Laurie

Thanks guys for the encouragement and the tips. Keep your fingers crossed.

Hey Brenda,

Good to see you back here. Sorry you've been sick. We missed you......

Go ahead, pot them up. Am sure they will be fine. Laurie's idea of soaking first is a very good one.

inanda

hi brenda!

i'm glad to see you back and posting. sorry that you have been sick.

belinda

I will not confess the details, but I have horribly mistreated iris and had them survive much later. Actually, to be brutally honest, I threw a bunch of TB iris that I had divided into a bucket. The bucket filled up with water from rain and I did nothing for months. Some rotted, but way more than half survived. That's why I am so fond of iris. They are really tough.

Hi Brenda, It is good to hear from you again. How's the Turtlehead doing? Sorry to hear that you have been sick. I hope you are feeling better.

~~Sandy~~

I wondered where you went to, Brenda! Welcome back.

me too. hiya Brenda

yes, welcome back Brenda. I noticed you had not been posting, always enjoyed reading your posts.

Thanks for the hearty greetings all, sure feels like home!

Kinda took a year off of gardening last year and am getting the bug again. Starting some perennial seeds in the basement this winter and beginning planning purchases & plantings for beds. The backyard is in total disarray as we had an inground pool started late last year and weather (and a not so ideal contractor) delayed completion. So as we speak I have a concrete hole in the yard awaiting plaster and tile. The upside is that there are HUNDREDS of square feet of new garden beds.

Hope to see you all here as the year progresses.

Brenda, good to see you back! And lots of sun--- if i remember your yard pics right!

I've planted some pretty dry iris roots & gotten away with it--why not try?

Oh, so good to see you post, Brenda. Keep posting as you had some beautiful flowers, if I remember right.
Now that you are settled in, how do you like living in your new house and the country?

HI Brenda!
I too, have missed you. I looked you up in the member list today to check on you and found this thread.
I think Laurief has given you the same advice I would, and she probably knows her stuff, judging from her pictures!

Did your hellebore babies I sent you a couple of years ago get big enough to bloom? I have a big patch of them now, mostly pink/rose; only a couple are white.

I really got concerned about you when coop after coop closed and you did not order!!! Great to have you back with us,
Susan

I received some dwarf iris from a Southern friend a couple of years ago. He dug them in July and they spent all the fall in a garage. I got them in December, kept a few for myself and spread the rest over the DGers. I potted them up & waited for spring. A couple rotted, but the rest did okay & transplanted well to my garden in the spring.

Hi Brenda,
So nice to see you back with us!! I too have often thought of you and wondered how you were doing. Sorry to hear you were sick!! I hope you're well over it and you have time to stay in touch. :) See you at IA RU?
Laura

Yes, Brenda. Are you coming to the Iowa Round Up? It's going to be a great party and we'd all love to see you again!

Welcome home ,
you have been missed

Tazzy--scary thought--that fuzzy thing reminds me of you. She needs a Red Hat, though , and a rose in her teeth to be a dead ringer.

Oh, you were right. With pictures of my iris on the screen, the Iris lecture was easy. You know how I love to talk about my flowers... Poor 73 Master Gardeners were in shock when I got done. Too many iris colors or too much information? LOL

Wanda way to go ! " shock and awe "

You know me. If you can't dazzle them with knowledge, bury them in doo doo.

bull waste ,is beneficial to all plant life !
see my egg plant ? grown in pure bull !!

LOL ! And plenty around your house to feed it, right?

yup!