Hello Everyone! I'm new & need help with Dwarf Iris "bulbs"?

Hello! :-)
So I started with a few plants on the balcony & my husband decided I should branch out. He bought two pots of beautiful purple dwarf iris' - I promptly killed them :-( Yet another sacrifice to the plant god - sigh. I'm not sure how I managed it - too much sun, too much water (probably), not enough sun - I'm just not sure. So now I have bulbs. They seem intact, no mold or rotting visible. Can I resurrect them? If so -how?

Thanks for your help.

Jamie

Jamie -

can you take a pic of what you have - a nice clear close-up? where they dwarf bearded iris or another dwarf variety? if you don't know for sure - can you post pic of them when they were in bloom? it makes a difference in how they should be planted, etc....

(I'm asking this because you are saying you have "bulbs" if what you have looks like a regular bulb and not a rhizome then different re-planting instructions....)

Thank you SOOOO much for your help!

I will have my hubby take a pic for me this morning - he says they're bulbs. They did have a brown skin that they shed & were about 3" down in the soil I took them out of. Some very small roots were coming out of some. No mold or decay noted. The average size is that of a nickel. Some are smaller (dime sized). Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of them when they were alive. The leaves stood about 12" tall. The blooms were a little taller, purple, no beard, & I think a yellow stripe in it's throat.

Is there hope? Thank you again. :-)

P.S. the flower looked a lot like "Elizabethtown's photo posted.

Jamie, what you are describing is one of the dwarf bulbous irises, probably Iris reticulata which is commonly marketed in pots of spring blooming bulbs. I have almost no experience growing any of the bulbous irises, so I am unfamiliar with their growth cycle. My guess is that your bulbs are simply dormant at this time of year. Replant them at the depth they were before, then water them very minimally for the rest of this growing season. With any luck at all, they'll arise again next spring to grace your balcony with bloom.

Laurie

You might post a similar message on the bulb forum. They are interested in bulbs and some experts in bulbs.

If it is the bulbuous iris reticulata, or histroides, or danfordiae just plant them anytime now, they are in fact dormant. Or hold them till September or October in the pot.

Site them in a spot that gets at least a few hours of sun per day, in the spring. Under a deciduous tree would be good in your area. And is well drained (where no water sits for more than an hour). Zone 8-9 is their southernmost zone.

Plant with the pointy end up, about 3 inches deep, and close together-- maybe 2-3 inches apart.

If you want, put a little bit of fertilizer in the hole you're planting them in, and mix it in before you plant them. Bulb fertilizer is good, but any you have will do.

Water them in when you plant, then not again. If you're putting them in with other plants they can take a little water.

They bloom in very early spring. The blooms come up, and then after the blooms are gone, the leaves elongate to about 1 foot.

They multiply rapidly, and should be divided every few years.

Which picture of Elizabethtowns were you referring to?

(And welcome to the forum!)

Oops, just noticed you said they get about 1 foot tall. Probably not iris reticulata then. Maybe dutch iris. If so the planting instructions are the same, just plant tham a little deeper, and wider apart, about 4 inches deep, and width between bulbs.

Dutch iris may grow new foliage for you this winter.