How do you buy your iris?

What I mean is do you just buy one of each of the ones you like for variety or do you buy to make clumps of one named variety?

I'm just buying named iris this year and I've tending more towards one of each except for a choice few that I'd been wanting for a long time, like Sea Power, Feu du Ceil and Earthborn. Those I bought more than one of. It's so hard to choose:lol:

What does everyone else do? Just curious=)

When I first started my iris garden, I was told to plant 3 for a faster clump and that is what I do still. I was also told that I would probably get a bloom the first year with more than one rhizome. Some of my more popular ones, I've put as many as 6 rhizomes down. When I beg for irises, I usually beg for 3 of each!

So was that tip accurate? I know 3 make a more visually appealing clump but I had just picked 2 each of my most wanted. I ordered 3 of Earthborn and was sent 6 since they were not huge and I was told that they tended to be slow to increase.

It's tough to pace my purchasing since everyone carries such a variety. I may have to try to make purchases of 3 instead of so may individuals.

If it were me, I would get 3 of each especially if they were something that I really wanted bad. With planting 3 rhizomes of each, I got a great bloom off most of them the first year.
Yes, I have trouble pacing myself too with buying irises...3 of each can really add up and there's so many I want.

I just started growing irises last year. At that time I ordered one of each. Some cultivars did better than others and not all of them will looked as stunning as the pictures so I was glad with some of them to only have one. This year I added some new ones and ordered more of the ones I liked the best.

ditto what weegy says........ also this article is very useful www.cdn-iris.ca/pots.html

This message was edited Aug 15, 2007 8:04 PM

Thanks! That was a very reassuring article! I had potted up my first batch of iris and was concerned that that may not have been the smartest move. They're on the back patio which gets about half and half sun and shade during the day. Their eventual home will be in the front which is maining full sun most of the day. I didn't know to trim the roots off but I will on the next batch.

I can pick up some pots at work (WalMart) when they toss the dead plants I get them to save some of the containers for me and make a donation to Children's Miracle Network to pay for the pots which would have gone into the compactor.

Because I live in a very difficult climate where many irises fail to survive, I never acquire more than one rz of any iris unless a duplicate arrives as a gift or bonus. I'm not going to waste my money, time, or garden resources on duplicate (or triplicate) irises until the cultivar has proven its hardiness and value in my garden, and by that time I don't need to purchase any additional rzs because the original rz will have already clumped up.

Laurie

That makes perfect sense for your area. I moved completely across the country and basically didn't leave zone 7:lol: There is just slightly more chance of winter weather here and humidity. Iris seem to do great here for the most part. I have been wanting to try some of the arilbred iris but I think they are more suited to desert/southwest climates and wouldn't be happy here. Malevil has some on sale so I might just try one or two to see if I can trick them=)

i know the rule of thumb is three, but as expensive as they are and as fast as they multiply, i think i would make iris an exception. of course i haven't been able to justify buying iris' as i just divided an overcrowded bed this summer and had wheelbarrows to
plant.

I haven't bought any before for the same reason. The ones I started with (gulp) 8 years or so ago from WalMart are desperately overcrowded and are NOIDS. I'm removing them and giving them away. As crowded as they are I think I'll have a ton of them too:) I'll probably have to be much more selective next year due to space limitations, but I hope to end up with some nice ones one day to trade.

I buy one, for the same reason as Laurie. Want to make sure they will be happy here.

inanda aka Ginny

See, this is what makes the world go round, we all have our opinions and different ways and reasons for what we do. I hope we helped you out dmac, bottom line, you do what you want to do!

I usually buy one of each unless the price is really fabulous, then I've been known to purchase as many as three. My collection has over 700 different cultivars now and I'm still adding more.

I recommend only buying from reputable iris growers who guarentee true to name. The bargains you'll find at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart and other comparable Garden Centers are usually not true to name or photo.

I just get one... even in tradeing I try to get just one.. .. .. not even Iris likes to live in Texas and I want to know who loves to live here and who does not..

I also gives room for more.... hehehe... hehehe... so you ahve to trade off a few here and there but then you get more.. it is all a lot of fun.

All of the answers definitely helped:) I tend to want to stash and horde the ones I've wanted for long periods of time. Those are the ones I buy more than one of in the hopes I can get a flower show sooner. Then the onsies are just things that catch my eye. I'm looking at trying to buy my first house in the next year or so. Not because I need indoor space, but because I need outdoor space:LOL: Then I can have 700 iris cultivars like all my friends here ;)

The chain store iris have been a definite disappointment overall, I have to agree. At the time I wasn't aware of DG or all the online deals that are to be had. I also didn't care too much about the names being true, just wanted the flowers. The dried out sticks (rhizomes!) took twice as long to produce a flower. The first order I received stunned me since I wasn't expecting to see any green or living roots on the iris.

Everyone here and GWatchdog have helped me make better plans, try new stuff and avoid some iffy vendors. I was thinking of ordering from one company this year and saw several complaints regarding a high amount of misnamed iris and the lack of concern from the owner. I recognized quite a few names from the forums and decided to try elsewhere.

At the local rhizome sale, the price was definitely right, and I did pick up 3 rhizomes of many varieties. Then I picked up a few singletons, some because I wasn't quite sure about them and some because 1 was all that remained in the box.

I've generally only planted single rhizomes in the past, so I wondered... will planting 3 separate rhizomes in a group to simulate a clump really result in quicker blooming, or do you have to have a connected clump of rhizomes to get blooms the next year?

This is from my iris "bible."

"The benefit of planting just one rhizome is that 3 to 4 years may pass before you need to work over your bed, meaning dig and divide. But if you do plant just one, you take the chance of losing that rhizome from your collection. Also, for awhile you'll miss out on the spectacular display of blooms. Most gardeners plant not one but three or four of the best rhizomes of each variety even though the dividing may have to be done 2 to 3 years after planting."

They recommend planting 3 rhizomes in a triangular pattern. I don't think the clumps need to be connected, Jill.

I have planted as many as 6 rhizomes but yes, I have to divide sooner too.

for me they do better when planted in the fall, than in summer when the books usually advise. even though it is tempting to plant them 'closer' together, it does not affect bloom
time other than crowd then quicker, which leads to dividing sooner. I speak from experience, as the ones i planted last fall will probably need divided next year! I think they also need a season before they actually start blooming. and if i keep having to divide i will never have any blooms. and they grow in the direction from the backside of the fan so be sure and 'point them away from the neighboring iris or they will grow right toward them and bump into them and grow under and over and quit blooming.

It's interesting that planting a clump of rhizomes leads to quicker blooms... I just figured it would lead to having a mature-looking clump of foliage sooner, like planting clusters of 5 daffodil bulbs rather than planting them singly.

That's a good point also about planting iris in a bed so that they're oriented in the same general direction.

I just wrote a "Planting Iris 101" article for the DG daily feature (scheduled for Sept.10), and I'm relieved to say that I included both planting in natural-looking clumps and planting in the same direction. It was hard to try to condense all the really good information I've been gleaning here and from the AIS and other web sites into a short article... and I admit that as a relative iris newbie I was nervous about writing a how-to article that would be read by the real experts on this forum! If I'd known then about the quicker blooming of multiple rhizomes, I'd have included that tidbit... maybe it'll come up in the article feedback! :-)

Weegy, what book do you refer to as your "iris bible?"

It's called the "The Gardener's Iris Book" by William Shear. It's great. It's really helped me with alot of different things.
I just ordered a Louisiana iris book from Amazon and am looking forward to getting that.

Thanks!! Here's the GB link for it... http://davesgarden.com/products/gbw/c/44/

critter, i think there might be a misunderstanding in the planting a clump of iris to get a quicker bloom. a clump can be defined as several separate individual rhizomes (plants)
or one 'plant', with many rhizomes or 'buds'. Does this make any sense? it was probably meant that it was more likely to get a quicker bloom with the more you planted. I could be very wrong, but if so i am curious how by planting more that you would get a quicker bloom? I planted quite a few last fall and didn't have any blooms this year.
I think next time i divide them, and being the lazier gardener that i am, lol, i will plant two rows facing inward, so they will grow out, theoretically never to bump into their neighbors
and again, theoretically, forming two separate beds! give it a try anyway, though usually there's something to foil my plans. lol

It's possible there might be some sort of neighbor-competition thing going on, that if a rhizome has root space competition from another rhizome, that might prompt it to bloom faster in order to reproduce. I think there's a mechanism like that with some other flowering plants, although I'm darned if I can remember where I've read about it.

It does make sense to me that if you plant a mature mother rhizome with several large daughter rhizomes on it, you'll be likely to get blooms sooner than if you plant just a single rhizome, because planting a whole connected clump should result in an established plant sooner.

It may also just be that there's a small chance that any given single rhizome could bloom in its first year, so by planting 3 rhizomes rather than just one, you increase your chances of seeing a bloom of that variety sooner.

I like your theory about planning a bed... I think I'd still pick a general axis of orientation so that the rhizomes aren't running in completely opposite directions... Say, if all rhizomes are oriented along an east-west axis, the rhizomes in the front of the bed could be oriented slighty northeast to slightly southwest, and the rhizomes at the back of the bed could be oriented slightly southeast to slightly southwest. That way, the increases would be to the west for both portions, but angled toward the front or toward the back edges of the bed. Is that what you're thinking?

Wow, that was probably way too many words to try to describe fairly simple concepts... I guess I get verbose when I get tired, sorry. :-)

my guess is that the competition rather than spur the bloom just causes it to stop.
cause a rhizome has all the food stores for the bloom and after it blooms, it's done, starts another rhizome then blooms is done etc etc until it runs into another iris. then it grows over or under it and quits blooming. i moved into this house 2 yrs nov. the iris bed was so over-crowded that i only had 3-4 blooms both years.all i know is i have that old-fashioned purple maroon one and yellow. so next year i should see what i actually have. i don't know how long those iris's have needed divided. the house is 45 yrs old.

That's how my bed in front ended up. The peak flower show was a couple of years ago and I should had divided then but I let it go and this year I know some of them didn't flower at all. They are practically crawling out of the bed on their own looking for more space. Most of the rhizomes are 2/3's out of the soil. The fans are also sort of leaning or tipping outwards from the center. I'm sure that once I thin and divide them they will rebound nicely in their new homes.

Hi Mitch,

LA iris would be supremely happy in your garden. Also, there are some great iris supplier/growers in TX so certainly you can grow iris in TX.
inanda aka Ginny

I get one rhizome usually (mostly from the annual HIPS sale) unless it's very rare, in which case I'll get two.

Although impatient is my middle name, for whatever reason, it doesn't pertain to my gardening. Go figure.
I get one of anything, and can wait for the show. I don't mind the kaleidoscope of color until there's a nice clump going on.

Interesting notation for this newbie on orienting them correctly. I noticed the growth habit but didn't know it pertained to which way the bloom actually faces. Thanks!

I plant several of one varieity as some may not make it, although, I am a firm believer in the old theory MORE IS BETTER:) not really the season, but I can always talk iris.The more sun the better, water but not a lot, some need to be moved to a better location, some will grow no matter what.THanks Marie

I buy one rhizome of each unless there is a deal or an particular one I want that starts hard. I usually trade for as many as the person wants to give extra and I match if I have it in extras or we trade daylily for iris in some cases. I throw in a bonus with my trades.

I plant for show in my garden meaning cottage style with other plants so my Maine Iris Society person Joan Moor taught me 6 rhizomes per clump leaves pointing out, rhizome bare root facing each other to form a circle for room to baby make and to get air and stuff. Can make in threes or more whatever space you have for whatever amount of varieties you plan for your garden but Joan and I prefer the groups of six which stay well groomed for showing purposes within the garden itself not just to pick a good stalk for a show and if you remove one rhizome for trade or to sell it is easy to replace it with a division.

When mine are big enough to divide I do so as soon as possible to create the six rhizomes I need before saying I can trade for Maine weather if rough on irises. Even with groups of six some winters are too mellow to save them meaning no snow and lots of sleet. 2005 a flood got me so I started over but some from the group of six did survive and I did not have to replace all of them. Hopefully this year I will get lots of bloom for I bought a lot of irises and fed them well.

How many of each plant to buy depends somewhat on garden space. All of a group should be pointed in the same direction.They can walk away from each other leaving a hole in the middle if pointed different ways. Remember irises bloom off the increase so they must have room to move. I really object to cutting the roots. I realize that some areas have harmful nemotodes, but the energy should go to producing new increases not new roots. The old brown roots can be used as anchors and cut back a bit, but what is the reason for cutting new active roots? We try to plant the bearded plants in mid to late July to get them settled before winter. Beardless should be planted early spring or Aug. after the plants have gone dormant. Late arrivals (fall) can be potted, some root cutback and the pots sunk in the ground and soil leveled so no water sits in the pots to cause rot. Climates, so potting techniques differ. Consult others who live in your area. The book by William Sears is excellent.

Planting them running in the same direction agrees with what I've been taught, also. There's a description and a photo showing how I place rhizomes in a clump in the DG article I wrote on planting bearded irises, http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/123/

IrisMA, I'm sure you may be referring to spuria, or maybe even LA iris when you say they go dormant in the summer and should be planted in the spring (correct), or August. But most northerners think of beardless as Japanese or siberian, and they certainly do not go dormant in August, and in my opinion hot, dry August is absolutely the worst time to plant. Early spring, and early fall, giving them 6 weeks in the fall before frost is best for siberian and Japanese.

A siberian group in New England did a study on planting siberians among the members and came up with the April, then Aug. reccommendation. They do have to be kept wet in Aug. until they take hold (or at any planting time). Again different strokes for different folks. In bearded classes I will order more divisions in classes like Miniature Dwarfs because the rhizomes are smaller. At iris society sales we are low enough on TBs to sell as one plant unless the divisions are small and plants like SDBs often in threes unless the divisions are "doubles" or 'triples". As you know we also can't compete in rhizome size with the western growers. But as long as they are dry, and have good air circulation they can sit around a bit. A larger number of TBs are usually available in Maine.

I forgot to say when AIS conventions are in TX or Ok we are often asked not to send plants until Aug. or Sept. until the soil cools a bit.

IrisMA, can you reference that study for me about planting siberians in August. I would like to see the reasoning. I certainly don't agree with it, and have been selling siberians for over 14 years now. August in most places means hot and dry, certain death for siberians and Japanese. Thank you.

IrisMA - I usually plant TB's in September since July and August, though sometimes touted as the best time to transplant, is too hot to attempt to keep them moist and cool to begin new growth. I also prefer moving and dividing JI's and Sib's in September since it still gives them plenty of time to settle in and grow new roots.

The study was not written down--just annouced the results, about a dozen yrs. ago. While NY is close to MA there are some differences. Our area NE of Boston turns cooler at night than west of Boston which affects rebloom for example--Immortality will rebloom in Oct. for us and Sept. in MA gardens father west which are zone 5 compared to our 6a. The ocean is much colder north of Cape Cod which means the water is tougher for swimming for some people (me), sort of like wading in ice water.

Iris Society of MA (ISM) holds its sales the last week in July and peoples' own orders come in late July or early Aug. We have moved seedlings around into mid-Sept. but makes me nervous hoping that they have enough time for the roots to take hold and less chance of heaving. You might note that Joe Pye Weed Garden has April and two Aug. shipping dates to accommodate different area conditions. We walk around the garden in Sept. checking to see if the roots of newer plants are taking hold. of course we can sometimes get warmer weather into Oct. This all may seem strange to people roughly close, but it is different.

I'm sorry, I don't seem to have managed my space very well, Blame it on my being new to computers.