Growing Irises in Containers

I live in the hot area of Northern California, and iris do not grow well in pots here. A fiend told me that she grows them in half oak barrels.

I have about a thousand clumps of iris and can't keep up with the weeds. We have weed mat, but that doesn't help very much. The irises grow really well here, as do the weeds. I'm not keeping all the clumps, but will probably keep about 200 varieties.

Anyway have any of you, especially in the warmer climates successfully grown irises in containers? Do they bloom and increase well? I wouldn't expect them to do as well as they do in the ground. The irises here have to be divided every two years, and some every year, and it would be fine with me if they needed dividing every three or four years. Thanks,

Sandy

g-momma:

I am growing some of my TB iris in containers - large high-fired red clay pots - they are on the drip irrigation line and when the temps hit 115 like they did this past weekend, I give them supplemental water....

They are not in full sun all day - they get direct sun for only 2-3 hours, the rest is bright indirect light.

I am very happy with how they are doing, 3 of them bloomed beautifully this year, their first in the ground....I plan on adding more pots this fall....

audrey

Thanks, It's almost as hot here as it is there. Unfortunately most would have to be in full sun or some could have some shade after 4:00PM. We have a lot of 100 degree weather and usually some114-116 days also.

We had a unusual heat wave coupled with high winds in May that made most of my irises fizzle out too soon. Two that took the heat and wind and kept on blooming beautifully were World Premier and Kevin's Theme.

I have two iris blooming today! I was shocked when I went out to check garden this morning!

I cut them and brought them inside because I know they would be toast if they stayed out in this heat we are having (110-115 for the past week)....

We are quite different from your climate so only grow the smaller irises in barrells. But I would suggest only 2 plants per tub, and they will have to be divided each yr , 2 at the most.

I grew almost 300 in 1 gal pots out of necessity. They bloomed their first year, but I've looked and the increases are all too small to bloom. mine are in part sun/dappled shade.

To jump into this conversation, what size pots would be best to use? 19in or larger?

I may have overordered (trying to do the math and geometry now) and would hate to have to give the homeless a home other than mine! : )

For tall-bearded, I recommend a minimum of a 1 gal. pot. The bigger the better, though.

If you want increases I would recommend 2 gallon or better for the TB but if for temp home then one gallon.

I have TB and medians in one gallon pots for the sales and for people who come to the garden and must have an iris that day...they are OK for that but for a longer term bigger is better like pajar stated

D

I have a half dozen pots of 14" or so. Should be 5 gal or more. Holding single
iris until I can prepare a new bed. Question: Will our 90+ direct sun warm the
roots too much? If planted, the temp on the roots would be much cooler. Can
the roots be cooked by overheating?

Yes, keep unplanted iris in a cool, dry place. Iris in pots should be all right.

It is very difficult for people living out of your area to know what would work for you in Illinois. Here a 14-in pot would be wonderful for an iris. I don't know about Illinois were the temps are hot and wet. Just keep in mind that iris can handle as much sun as you can give them but they cannot stand to be both wet ( not damp) and hot for very long.
I don't know what your weather in Illinois is like, but I would try to protect them from to much weather and too much water. But the pot size sounds more than adequate, especially if it has plenty of holes in the bottom and room to drain the pot.

that sounds like excellent advice, Paja- very well put. I learned something today!

Hi there!
remember we did a trade a while back???...well, many of the iris you sent got stuck in gallon pots, while I tried to figure out where all of them would go...

The lucky ones that got planted right away are twice the size and twice the increased number, as the ones still in pots.

One word..."bonsai", lol...the pots restricted their growth, and even the growth they've put out, is small. Very few potted ones have flowered, either. The ones in the ground have done great.

We get as hot as you, so after this experience with them, I'd suggest that while pots are great for temporary holding places, they are not a good long-term solution(at least in our climates).

In my opinion(just my opinion), it would be best to narrow down to your favorite 200, and just sell off the others. Then, you'd have a little extra cash, and less to take care of, and weed...

The time and hassle it would take you to pot up those others, would hardly be worth it, because they just wouldn't do much for you...

What about that landscapers fabric?...is that the same as your weed mat?

Maybe talk to some of the big iris or daylily growers, and see what their solution to weeds is?
-Taylor

seedpicker- try some pots that are at least 10" in diameter - they don't have to be deep, but at least that size. I had mine in gallon pots too last November for lack of space. They all bloomed, but now are growing as you describe.

Am hearing to try them in wider pots - they need liebensraum.

I don't find that the ones growing in pots do as well as the ones in soil. I only use the pots until I have prepared a permanent place for the iris. But I only use 1 gal. pots so perhaps I would be happier with wider ones. But I really want them in the soil, not in pots. I also find I rarely lose an iris planted in the ground but I lose a small percentage of the ones in pots -- probably because they dry out quicker and I don't always remember to water them.

I ended up having to pot some up last year due to an wonderfully generous iris supplier and a couple of co-ops (my first year of buying named iris on purpose:lol:)

I had really nice flowering on about 6-8 of the 12 containers I planted. I think I did overcrowd a couple of the pots since a few of the rhizomes were on the smaller side. I did also notice that I have roots coming out the bottom of a few of the containers so I'll be planting them in the garden this fall. The pots I used were slightly smaller than a 1 gallon container and I put two rhizomes per pot. I also planted a small iris called Cherry Garden and one aril Lady Mohr in 6 inch pots and they both bloomed which surprised me:lol:
I agree with most of the posters who don't think this is an ideal way to grow iris but it works to hold them over in a pinch so they don't end up drying out and looking like a shriveled up mess:)

another thing I do in a pinch, y'all.

I buy bagged topsoil and pour it out on the hard clay in "lines" up near my driveway. DH kids me about my "coke/iris" lines. If necessary, I serpentine the lines over the space I have. shape the soil about 6 to 7 inches tall, and about 5 to 7 inches flat on top. Then I heel irises, almost nose to heel, in this as they arrive. Takes only minutes because the soil is so soft.
They don't penitrate our hard clay. Run on old spare soaker hose down the row, turn it on every morning. By the time their permanent beds are ready, they are growing tons of roots and gorgeous. a lifting fork run parallel to the clay has them back up in a twist of the wrist. When I'm done, the soil can be flat shoveled up and used elsewhere in the garden.

In less than the price of pots and potting soil, and less time than it takes to pot - usually less than 30 minutes for 30 irises, I've got them somewhere they can stay for as long as necessary. all winter, sometimes.