Species Iris, Reticulated Iris

I just found some of these bulbs in my garage, a little dry, but don't look dead; I did soak them. I know I should have planted them in ...Read Morethe fall, but lost sight of them and forgot them. Would there be any point in planting them now?

Flowers may be purple, blue-violet, true blue, ivory, or bicolored.

Fall planted bulbs all bloom well the first spring and...Read More then decline over the next three years or so. They don't naturalize well here in southern New England.

I agree with lokidog that the problem is that this species needs a dry summer rest, while in gardens of eastern N. America plants have to deal with regular summer rainfall (and irrigation). Planting in sharply draining soil may help.

Armitage (in Quebec and Georgia) says that when planted in large numbers, a few bulbs will adapt and multiply.

Flowers are 2-4" tall and bloom in crocus season. After the flower fades, the slender 4-angled leaves rise to 12-18" tall before going summer dormant.

I'm pretty sure that the problem of these plants not coming up for people is not letting them go dormant and develop buds for the followi...Read Moreng year. They need to dry out in mid-summer in order to trigger this. In some climates where the rainfall is high, or near automatic sprinklers, this is not possible. But in others be sure to plant in a well-draining soil, and away from sprinklers. These are water-wise plants, though in extremely hot or low rainfall conditions they do need watering in the spring. There are many sources of information out there that are simply wrong - probably because they confuse these iris' with other water loving species (most iris are wetland plants - though the tall bearded or German iris is also a lover of well-drained conditions) The info about not letting them divide and planting them really deep is not a good idea. This weakens the plants and eventually you won't have any. Dividing will not cause the plant not to bloom the next year, as the 'main' bulb will still bloom, the new bulbs will take a while. What the problem here is likely crowding, so dig them up and divide and you should have tons more blooms next spring. An option in areas where the rain is constant, you can try planting in mounds, cover the area with water-proof material, or dig them up, let them dry out for a few weeks - slowly in paper bags, and replant.

This variety is very nice. It bloomed this year starting in Early-March, which is very early for bulbs here. If I was in a more protected spot, it would have been in February.

I love these early bloomers, but they don't return for me. I will try the tip of planting them really deep.
NL zone 8a