What are Dutch Iris?

Saw these for sale at Scheepers. Never heard of them but the pictures sure are pretty :-))

http://www.johnscheepers.com/catview.cgi?_fn=Product&_category=Iris

They are a bulbus iris, not rhizomes. They don't grow for us, but might do so in your area. They are the ones you see in florist shops.

check out the Plantsfiles for dutch iris. Specifically they are Dutch, rather than the German Iris we see growing. Just a different species from a different area. I have some Lousisana Iris that I like and then there are the Japanese Iris. Ahhhhhhh!

They do not overwinter? Like glads here where you have to replant or lift?

Might do so for you. Plant some outside & pot some to try. Bearded iris were classified as Iris, germanica which was a mistake (we're stuck with it) as germanica is an infertile species. Bearded irises grow throughout western Europe. However the tall bearded plants are about 25 generations removed from the I. pallida & other wild species.

Plant files says they are hardy down to zone 5a. You might try mulching them, too, through the winter.

Are they supposed to be fall planted or like lilly bulbs were you can plant in the spring?

All my garden beds are heavily mulched here, mulching is no problem.

Ask Sheepers; I don't know as we don't grow them.

I planted a whole bagful of them once and only got a few frail wisps of greenery one year and none returned. Suppose I should have dug them up and returned them.

They should be fall planted.

All info says they should be hardy for me here, but they're not.

Have you tried any other bulbous irises like histrioides, reticulatas and danfordiae? They are cute, early little guys.

Actually to my eye, the spuria look a lot like the dutch irises. much taller, of course, but the same simple lines.

They are similar in many ways.

D

Haven't tried or heard of any bulb iris. I just manage to stumble upon these things somehow when looking around the web.

I really don't know anything about the spuria, I just love the pictures of the flowers that I have seen. I figgure they might be taller than I really want, so I just am going to try the one for now. And I thought the same thing, that the flowers of the Dutch Iris and Spuria, look very similar to me.

The dutch irises are pretty cheap. it wouldn't hurt to give them a try. They are pretty and make nice cut flowers.

I am obessed with dwarf iris. I love them. So cute and colorful!! They are fall planting, correct? Can't wait to add more of them to my garden!!

I bought a bag of these and planted them in february and they are in bloom right now. The one's I bought were small bulbs. I was surprised how quick they grew and they look just like the picture on the bag which almost never happens.

Tammy

everything I've read about Dutch iris indicates we don't get enough cold weather for them to bloom. yesterday while working a booth at a Garden show, Susan Grigg tells me they will bloom here, so I plan on trying some this year.

If the dwarf irises are bulbs (I. reticulata) yes, plant in the fall. If you want dwarf bearded irises (SDB, MDB) plant in the summer July or Aug. depending where you live.

I live in zone 5a, now I have to shop!! woo hoo!! I think I might have a couple in my garden that were a gift from hugeposiepatch. I can't wait to see the bloom. A couple is NEVER enough (hehe) will have to see what is available out there!!

bonjon,

Dutch irises bloom just FINE down here and in fact mine come back strongly every year, so you should try them!.. Have only been in my current house three yars and have only had DI here for two now, but I grew them at my other place here in TX before we bought this house. I have seen them rated for z 6-9 and I don't think cold will be a problem for you.

Rita, being on the coast as you are you'd probably be quite successful with them. I LOVE Dutch Iris and as polly states, they're quite cheap.

Here are some for me I planted in fall '07, in bloom right now. I took these pics tonight after work. You will love them; hopefully they'll work for you!

What a beautiful picture!!

Another clump of three varieties -

Thanks dpoitras ^_^ I think they make a great anchor between spring bulbs and, say, lilies. Really an underutilized bulb and very cost-effective color.

beautiful

I especially like the first pic. Love the colors and the mixture of heights!! VERY pretty!!

I was surprised at how tall the yellow & white ones got. I think I got them at either Brent and Becky or Scheepers.

Geezz, they are so pretty. Its not that warm here, we do have a real winter and can have lots of snow. Are the dutch iris like other fall planted spring flowering bulbs (such as crocus and daffs) that flower and then the folliage dies down until next year?

I will get afew for sure. I figgure I like them enough to risk it and who knows. it might turn out very well.

Yes, the foliage is just like other spring flowering bulbs in cold areas.

well, I've got to try them now

I grew them one year. Planted them in the fall and they were beautiful the next spring, but ended up digging them because I needed the space. I live in zone 4b, but we have a lot of snowfall.

I've grown them for years here. Mine multiplies into a ridiculous clump and that's when the flowering slowed down. I need to divide them but it's a seriously tangled mess interspersed with the dying down daffs and the cannas that won't go away:lol: I don't mulch them but I do let the fall debris cover the patch over the winter.

Zone 5a

Iris reticulata (blue), planted in fall, does fine in my upgraded clay soil, as does Iris danfordiae (yellow). Both seem to last several years (don't think it's the mice (voles), who definitely like hybrid crocus bulbs). Iris reticulata is blooming now, in sunny spots, along with species and hybrid crocuses. Bought more of it last fall than Iris danfordiae. Apparently these species irises last longer in gravel beds.

Started using fancier dutch iris bulbs a year or two ago. Don't see any up yet. Think they bloom a bit later. Suspect their longevity in our clay may be the same or perhaps less than that of the species iris.

Well, I was up in the middle of the night, could not sleep so was doing more research on the net on Dutch Iris. Found the information that the bulbs (small) look like onion sets. There was a picture of a bulb on one site but I can not find the site again today.

Then I saw two sites that told me they could either be planted in the fall, or in the SPRING. How about that? Never heard that before but thought that was great. Seeing as how I read one park in a colder zone treated them as annuals because they did not come back and planted new each year, they would have to be planted in the spring.

So I found two sites last night that had some available for spring, Dutch Gardens and Brecks. I wanted to order at Dutch Gardens. Some of the Dutch Iris said ships in the spring and some were only available in the fall. Before I could finish my order though, the very clearly marked ships in the spring changed to a very clearly marked ships in the fall. Not what I wanted. So I ordered the Dutch Iris mix at Brecks, ships in the spring. Others available at same website said ships in the fall, like the Beauty Dutch Iris mix.

I put a note in the comments section to either ship now or cancel order. I am not ready to deal with my fall orders yet. I want to try this 48 bulbs for spring just to see. Cheap enough at $18.00 for the mix. I hope my order goes thru for spring.

im to late but you can get 25 for 5.99 and free shipping at http://www.bulbsdirect.com/index.php?/Dutch-Iris/View-all-products.html

Thanks, iris, never too late. Saw your link also in my other post, I always want more sources and Bulbs Direct is a place I had not known about. I will probably buy some there too and have the darn things all over the place this summer. Will see.

I do really , really want to add Dutch Iris to my garden, ever since I fist saw they pictures of them, I could not get them out of my mind!

Rita, neither Dutch Gardens nor Breck's is a site I would buy from any more though I have used both at some time in the past. Not sure exactly now about their current spring offerings of Iris bulbs (Dutch Iris) but I can tell you that Breck's has offered sping tulip bulbs - and what they actually are are bulbs pre-cooled and sprouted in trays already in some growing medium.. I cannot attest to how they'd perform in subsequent years if you were to transplant into the ground, I personally would not buy any bare-root bulb for spring planting other than lily bulbs or summer-blooming bulbs or corms like gladioli or callas. However for under $20 might be worth a try if you want to experiment.

Thanks, Steve, I have never bought from either company. I certainly would NEVER buy tulips for planting in the spring, thats for sure.

I already did the order so I will just risk it. It could be that they have some of these Dutch Iris on hand now so its marked spring shipping and when they run out, they change to fall shipping so that they have time to get new stock. Its really a small amount so that if it turns out to be a loss, not a big deal.

I really would rather buy indivual varieties so that I could plant a bunch of one color together and get a small clump instead of a mixed bunch but I figgure the trade off is I have them blooming this summer.

I am sure everyone here will be hearing how it goes for me as I will report on whatever happens.

i just put a photo of one in photos. that opened up here the day after a freeze last week.. i had planted 2 0r 3 yrs ago forgot till saw this opened and 2 regular iris had buds froze.. so never know. lol..

So I logged in to see when these Dutch Iris ship. Now its April 13th and they say expect shipping between May 15 to 30. What a bunch of cr------

There is no reason that they should not be able to ship them this month. Bummer :-((

This message was edited Apr 13, 2009 9:31 PM

That is too bad, Rita :-( Well hopefully they'll do OK for you whent hey do arrive. Be sure to order some from Johm Scheepers or Brent and Becky this fall as they're quite cheap. Mine send up leaves in the fall every year but don't bloom (here) until around April 1st, and I know the Midwest is about a month behind me bloom-wise and would think you'd be similar.