Planting dutch iris

Because I am desperate to have some irises in my yard, I went and bought some dutch iris bulbs from a big box store. I know that true irises are not bulbs, but I just had to have something and as I said, I was desperate! Most of the bulbs are starting to get shoots already about an inch tall. Can I stick these in the ground here now? I have a few places where there isn't snow and I can get to dirt. But we definately are not bloomin yet. Is this too early here? Any input would be great. Last frost won't be until mid May. Should I just pot them? Please help! Also, will these spread like a true iris?

I thought they had to be planted in the fall ??????

Yep, you are definately right. They are. But because I will try almost anything, (gardening insanity) and the fact that we still have LOTS of snow on the ground, and I expect lots more snow, I am going to try to fool them into thinking it's fall. So maybe it will work? And if not, I'm not out much, as I think I spent $4 for 20 of them.

I was really wondering about that. Can't give you any advice as I only learned what Dutch Iris are recently myself. But I think they are so beautiful that I will deffinately be planting some this fall. Will see how they go with my Siberian Iris that I have on order for this spring.

As long as there are shoots sprouting I would say go ahead and plant it. Since you're still expecting cold maybe go with containers in a sheltered location. I planted TB iris in mid December one year (freak 80 degree temps that week) and they bloomed that spring like normal even with the short settling in time. I just read in the other thread about Dutch Iris that one member planted them in February and they still bloomed a couple of months later so I'm guessing yours would be OK.

And as I understand it, bulb ( Dutch) iris are true iris -- it's just that the AIS hasn't tried to deal with them -- but maybe they will some day. The AIS still doesn't have all the old iris in its iris database -- they probably can't take on any new ones yet.

I object to the 'true' designation. Both types are true iris, just different types. The bulbs have been registered in the Netherlands for years & years. Not a case of AIS not dealing.

i planted mine in march last year and they bloomed in july . lol

iris28- See my last post in the What are Dutch Iris Thread. I just learned that they can indeed be planted in the spring. Would work out well for those zones were they do not overwinter because its cold. They are cheap enough to use as annuals.

Bulbous iris are true iris. Family Iridaceae includes irises, crocuses, crocosmia, and more. In the family Iridaceae there is the genus Iris. In the genus Iris there are (currently) 6 subgenuses. Bearded iris is in the subgenus Iris, and the bulbous irises are in the subgenus Hermodactyloides. Beardless are in the subgenus Limniris.

Your botany class for today, LOL.

Thanks, polly. You saved me the trouble of looking it up. I love all the irises you mentioned.

You can tell I've read Irises by Claire Austin at least one million times.

Definately echoing thanks for the "botony lesson" here as well! I don't know if I will have to treat them as annuals, as our crocuses and such do very well here. But I will mulch them well anyway. I really appreciate all the info on these. I've got them scattered outside in all my beds, so we'll see what happens! I'll post pics if and when they bloom this year! I knew I should have kept all the biology books from college! LOL If they don't come back next year, they are cheap enough to replace! I planted all but 3 which I started indoors, mostly because I wasn't sure where I wanted to put them in the ground.
That's why I joined DG, you guys are so knowledgeable about everything! I figured I would learn tons.
Thanks again for all the info!

Just checked Brent and Becky's:

http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/genus.php?genusid=37

Theystate zones 6-8 for Dutch Iris. My guess is that they won't overwinter at your place, but you could dig them up and bring them in for the winter, then replant in spring. You could even plant them in pots, bury the pots in soil, then bring them in in the winter and out again in spring.

I e-mailed Brent and Beckies but they said that they only shipp the Dutch Iris for planting in the fall.

Well, this will be very interesting to see what they do now. I think I will take your suggestion on planting the pots and then bringing them in, and I will also dig most of them up and winter inside as well. However, just can't help but leave a few outside for the winter just to see if they make it. The hard part will be decided which ones I don't like as much that I would risk winter kill! LOL Typical mentality for me, just have to test it and see if they make it!

Some experimentation is always a good idea. Just don't bet everything on the outcome of the experiment unless you are prepared to lose it all!

They don't overwinter for me here, but it may be due to the amount of snow we get. I understand they like it dry in winter.